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Russia Evacuates 77 Nationals from Syria

23 January 2013 07:43 (UTC +04:00)

The first group of 28 people was delivered by a Yak-42 passenger plane, followed by a larger group of 49 Russian nationals transported by an Il-76 plane.The planes arrived early on Wednesday in Moscow’s Domodedovo airport where the Russians were met by medical personnel, psychologists and immigration officials.

The evacuees include Russian women who have married Syrians, their children and husbands who have acquired Russian citizenship from Damascus, Aleppo, Hama and Homs cities.

The embassy told that 8,008 Russian nationals are registered in its official lists, but diplomatic sources have estimated that about 25,000 more Russian women married to Syrians live in the country without registering at Russian consular services.

Note that, at least 60,000 people have been killed in Syria in the conflict between government and rebel forces in since March 2011.