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With the assistance of Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, 38 Russian children returned to their homeland from Syria: the Russian Aerospace Forces’ aircraft arrived at the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow on October 21. The children were taken to a federal medical centre, and after a full examination, they will be handed over to their relatives. Specialists from the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Rights will help with all the necessary documents, and local children's ombudsmen will provide support to these children and their families.

At present, the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Rights has more than a thousand applications from relatives who are looking for their grandchildren, nephews and children, who ended up in Syria and Iraq.

Representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and Healthcare Ministry accompanied Ms Lvova-Belova on the trip. Work to return Russian children from military conflict zones began in 2018 at the President’s instruction. During this time, 420 children have been repatriated (124 from Iraq and 296 from Syria), taking into account those brought home on October 21 from Syria and Iraq.