Moskalkova reported an increase in requests for assistance in returning to Russia

The number of requests for help to return to Russia from compatriots who have encountered problems with the law abroad has increased, Russian human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova told Izvestia on December 9.

Russians in other states turn to the ombudsman for help in criminal, administrative and civil cases, on issues of human rights protection in places of forced detention, she noted.

"The number of appeals concerning assistance in returning to the homeland has increased. Thus, in joint work with the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, it was possible to achieve the safe return home of a Russian citizen who was in an immigration prison in Bangkok awaiting a court decision on deportation," the ombudsman said.

In another case, she said, together with the Russian Foreign Ministry, the ombudsman's office helped return a Russian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia.

"Who knows how his fate would have turned out if not for the coordinated work of the competent agencies, which are primarily guided not by formal procedures, but by a sincere desire to help people in trouble," Moskalkova said.

Russians abroad should be sure that the Motherland is by their side and will support them, the ombudsman believes.