16:00, 19 April 2021

Children of North-Caucasian natives returned from Syria

Children of the North-Caucasian natives at Chkalovsky Airport (Moscow Oblast). Photo by the press service of the Russian children's ombudsperson

44 children have been brought from the Middle East to Russia; after examination they will be handed over to their relatives in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Stavropol Territory, the children's ombudsperson has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Anna Kuznetsova, the Russian children's ombudsperson, had earlier reported on the return of children from Syria and Iraq to regions of Southern Russia. Thus, in August 2020, 26 children from Dagestan, Ingushetia and Karachay-Cherkessia were taken out of camps and prisons in Syria and handed over to their relatives.

Out of the above 44, 34 children were in refugee camps, other 10 were taken from the Damascus orphanage, the TASS has noted. "I saw how children live in a Damascus orphanage; all the conditions for life and development are in place there. But relatives are waiting for them at home; they haven't seen each other for several years. And some grandparents saw their grandchildren only in photographs," the TASS quotes Anna Kuznetsova as saying.

She has added that the work towards returning children will continue.

Most of the Russian children taken to the Middle East are now in Syria; in 2017-2018, there were only single cases of returning children from Syria, Marina Ezhova, the Dagestani Ombudsperson, said in September 2019.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 19, 2021 at 12:14 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.