Russia Launches New Special Flights to Deliver Aid to Afghanistan, Ambassador Says
07:47 GMT 18.11.2021 (Updated: 08:40 GMT 18.11.2021)
© Sputnik / Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation / Go to the mediabankIl-76 heavy military transport aircraft with military equipment and personnel is taking off from the Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airfield
© Sputnik / Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
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KABUL (Sputnik) - Russia is organising new special flights to deliver humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Russian Ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov said on Thursday.
"In accordance with the instructions of the Russian president, the Ministry of Defence has begun to deliver humanitarian aid... Its total volume is over 100 tonnes", Zhirnov told reporters.
The ambassador mentioned that several hundred Russian citizens remain in Afghanistan, and those wishing to return to their homeland will be evacuated on Thursday via military transport aircraft. Nearly 900 Afghan citizens studying at Russian universities will be transported to Russia in the near future as well, Zhirnov said.
Three Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft previously arrived in Afghanistan, with each of them carrying 36 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Afghan population.
"The evacuation of more than 380 citizens of the Russian Federation, CSTO member states (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia), Ukraine, and Afghanistan by military transport aircraft from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has been organised", the Russian Defence Ministry told reporters.