A Russian cargo plane carrying food and medical supplies pulls into an airport in Syrian capital of Damascus.

It's the latest support Moscow has offered to the embattled government of President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time ally.

It comes amid a mounting humanitarian crisis in Syria, where an uprising-turned-civil war is now in it's 19th month.

Russian ambassador Azamat Kulmukhametov was on-hand when the plane touched down.

He called Russia and Syria friends, and said this was the fifth shipment of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.

Moscow has also been a major arms supplier to Damascus and maintains a naval base in Syria.

It has backed Assad throughout the bloody conflict, while also pushing for a negotiation end to the conflict that has seen more than 30,000 killed, according to activists.