Peskov called the return of 46 Kurians taken away by the AFU the result of difficult work

The return of 46 residents of Kursk Region, who were taken away by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) militants to Russia, was the result of complex negotiations and this work is ongoing. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on November 25.

"Such an agreement is the result of very complex negotiations, <...> they are continuing through certain channels, and everything possible is being done to ensure that all our citizens return to their homeland," Peskov said.

Earlier, on November 22, 46 residents of the Kursk region returned to Russia from Ukraine. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova specified that among them there was a wheelchair user and 12 children, including one newborn and a three-year-old child.

On September 24, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime, Rodion Miroshnik, said that Russia had a roll-call list of Kursk Region residents held by the AFU. This list has been handed over to the law-enforcement agencies. The ambassador specified that the list was compiled based on information from relatives of the missing residents of the region.

Ukrainian militants attacked Russian positions in the border areas of Kursk region on August 6. The situation in the region was recognized as a state of emergency of federal character. The operation to destroy the AFU continues.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.