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Moscow student to return to Russia on June 11 — embassy in Ankara

ANKARA, June 10. /TASS/. Turkey will send Varvara Karaulova, a student of Moscow State University’s Philosophy Department, who was detained in Turkey at the border with Syria on allegations of an intention to join a terrorist group, back to Russia on June 11, a spokesman for Russia’s Embassy to Ankara told TASS on Wednesday.

"After repeated phone calls and appeals, the embassy has received a confirmation in a form of a note from the Turkish Foreign Ministry that Varvara Karaulova would be sent back to Russia on June 11," Igor Mityakov said. "She will be allowed to leave Turkey upon a laissez-passer handed to her by consular workers."

The Turkish side has not presented any more details yet, he said.

"We are speaking now only about Karaulova’s return," Mityakov said.

On May 27, the 19-year-old Moscow student left home pretending to go to university, but has never returned. Later, she was traced to have secretly flown to Istanbul. On June 2 the Interpol launched searches and two days later, on June 4, its Turkish staff members detained Karaulova and another 12 Russians who were trying to cross the border into Syria. They are believed to arrive in Turkey with the aim to reach Syria via the Turkish southern border and to join militants. All the Russian nationals are temporarily staying at a regional department for refugees in the Batman Province.