Russia planes take humanitarian aid to Syria

Two Russian planes carrying humanitarian aid have headed from Moscow to the Syrian city of Latakia and may bring back Russian nationals on their flight back to the country.

The Ilyushin-62 and Ilyushin-76 planes belonging to the country’s Emergencies Ministry planes are carrying 46 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the crisis-stricken Syrian civilians, according to the ministry.

The planes can also evacuate any Russians, who are willing to return to Russia on the flight back, a ministry’s spokesman said.

In January, three busloads of Russians were transported from Syria to Lebanon and later sent back to Moscow via Emergencies Ministry’s planes. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry had dispatched two planes to the Lebanese capital Beirut to transport the people to Moscow.

Estimates by Russian embassy in Damascus show that about 8,008 Russian citizens are living in Syria. This is while according to unofficial statistics, nearly 25,000 Russians reside in the Arab country.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.

Russia and China have vetoed all anti-Syria resolutions, defying any foreign intervention against the Arab state and calling for a diplomatic solution to Syrian crisis.