The leader of a pro-Kremlin youth group announced that his organization would be sending a delegation to Syria to inspect objects of cultural and historical significance under threat due to warring government and rebel forces.
Nashi commissar Konstantin Goloskokov told journalists at a news conference Wednesday that delegation members would pay particular attention to churches and mosques and that they would publish their findings on the Internet, Interfax reported.
It was unclear what training Nashi members would receive before the mission, when it would take place and what measures would be put in place to ensure their safety.
Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar Assad have been fighting armed rebel forces for more than a year after protests demanding governmental reform broke out in the capital Damascus. According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 have died in fighting across the country.
Russia has repeatedly blocked UN Security Council attempts to interfere in the internal conflict and has criticized what it sees as Western powers' efforts to impose democracy in the region.
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