In total there would be 34. This Sunday, Russia, in cooperation with the Syrian and Kurdish authorities there, announced the repatriation of jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group from Syria. “Russian children in their homeland,” greeted the Russian Commissioner for Children, Maria Lvova-Belova, on Telegram, against whom there is also an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian minors.
“There are 34 of them, ages four to 16,” the official said, attaching to her message photos of children in the hands of several adults nearby and on a plane with Russian colors. In her message on social networks, Maria Lvova-Belova thanked “the Syrian leaders” for their support and “the Kurdish side” for “their humanitarian cooperation.” “Babies and teenagers living in refugee camps in the Trans-Euphrates region have been returned to their parents,” she said. “We will continue this work: the documents for the return of 150 more children are available,” she added, without giving further details.
4,500 Russians on the side of the Islamic State
Repatriations of women and children have been sparse in recent years as foreign countries, particularly Western ones, have been reluctant to accept people linked to ISIS. In 2017, Russia decided to systematically repatriate the children of jihadists.
Nearly 4,500 Russians, particularly from the Caucasus, fought alongside IS, and Russia was among the first countries to organize repatriations from Syria and neighboring Iraq.