Russia has repatriated 26 children from Syria's Al-Roj camp where families of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters are held, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova announced on November 2.

The group, dubbed on Russian social media as “Children of Isis”, includes 14 boys and 12 girls aged between 5 and 12 years, with ten children from the Dagestan region. They underwent DNA testing in Syria to confirm family relationships before being cleared to return to Russia, where they will receive additional medical examinations at a federal clinic in Moscow before reuniting with relatives.

"The children will be handed over to their relatives, including grandparents, aunts, and uncles," Lvova-Belova said following an agreement with the breakaway Kurdish-controlled region of northeastern Syria.

The Russian delegation visited the Al-Roj camp, which is administered by the Syrian Democratic Forces and houses foreign ISIS fighters' families.

According to RIA Novosti news agency, citing Syrian sources, preparations are ongoing for more Russian citizens, including women and children, to be repatriated from the camp. Russia has been conducting such operations since 2018.

Lvova-Belova said Russia has repatriated 383 children from conflict zones since beginning its return campaign. In comparison, more than 1,200 Russian children remain in the al-Hol and Roj camps and other areas in northern Syria.

Official statistics show Moscow has retrieved about 440 children of ISIS fighters from Iraq and Syria since 2017. The commissioner's office has received approximately 1,000 requests to locate and return Russian children from Syrian camps controlled by the government and other breakaway groups.

The repatriation efforts are coordinated through an inter-ministerial committee established under President Vladimir Putin's authority, working with the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

Earlier on November 21, a Russian delegation visited the Al-Roj camp to register the names of children of Russian nationality in preparation for their repatriation to Russia, Syrian human rights websites reported.