Islamic State terrorists “have delivered ultimatums and made certain demands, threatening … to shoot ten people every day,” the Russian leader said, adding that the hostage-takers already started carrying out their threats and executed ten hostages two days ago.

“This is just horrible, it is a catastrophe,” Putin said, adding that the US forces that claim to control the area around the east bank of the Euphrates River, relying on the Kurdish armed forces on the ground, stay conspicuously silent on this crisis.