An Emergency Situations Ministry plane arrived at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport early Wednesday morning carrying 99 passengers evacuated from Syria, news reports said.
The passengers, who arrived shortly after midnight, were Russian nationals and citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, RIA-Novosti reported. There were 29 women and 38 children on board.
They were met by medical workers and psychologists, Itar-Tass reported, and the ministry has organized teams of rescue workers to provide further assistance.
"Right now our task is to register everyone arriving from Syria, determine the route of where they go next and take them to railway stations and airports so they can get home," said Yury Besedin, deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry's main branch.
In addition to providing transportation to airports and railway stations, the ministry also offered assistance in purchasing tickets and generally making sure everyone's trip home goes smoothly.
In January, 77 Russian citizens were evacuated from the war-torn country, where a civil war has been raging since March 2011. Over 70,000 people have already died in the conflict, according to data from the United Nations.
According to data from the Russian consulate in Damascus, there are 5,300 Russian citizens currently residing in Syria, but that excludes citizens with dual citizenship and citizens who have not registered there, meaning the real number could be much higher.
Related articles:
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- Foreign Ministry Expects Moscow Talks Over Syria This Month
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