On Sunday, 56 Russian children, aged three to 17, flew back to Russia from Syria, under Lvova-Belova’s coordination. Seven of the children were transported from an orphanage in Damascus, while 49 were from refugee camps.
"We have reached an agreement with the leadership of the Kurdish side to take out another 200 children in the near future in several stages. … Of course, we very much hope that our close cooperation will continue in the future," Lvova-Belova told reporters on Sunday.
In mid-February, Russian President Vladimir Putin heard a report from Lvova-Belova concerning difficulties in getting Russian children out of Syria. Putin said that it was possible to negotiate with the Kurds directly on this humanitarian issue, as well as the official authorities of Syria.