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Conflict in Syria

More than 400 Russian children trapped in conflict zones in Syria, Iraq

More than half of the children are aged between four and nine

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Some 445 Russian children are currently stuck in the zones of armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq, Russian children’s rights commissioner Anna Kuznetsova said on Monday.

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Some 350 Russian children taken to Syria, Iraq — children’s rights ombudswoman

"Now we are speaking about 445 children, 28% of them are under three years of age," Kuznetsova told the meeting of a commission for returning Russian children from Iraq and Syria.

Nine percent of these children were born in the zone of hostilities. More than half of children (54%) on the list are aged between four and nine years, while 18% are older than ten.

In January 2017, the first meeting of an international working group under the auspices of the commissioner for children’s rights was held. The commissioner asked all regional ombudsmen to provide information on any addresses by citizens in connection with illegal transfer of children to Iraq and Syria. A list with more than 350 names was compiled and sent to the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the FSB.

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Syrian conflict

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