Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  Over the past few weeks, 31 children who were left without parental care have been returned to Uzbekistan from Russia, according to the press service of the Children’s Ombudsman of Uzbekistan.

On 25 August, nine children were brought back to Uzbekistan. Previously, 22 children had been returned, including 13 from Saint Petersburg, nine from Moscow, eight from Novosibirsk, and one from Kazan.

The repatriation of these children was made possible through the cooperation of relevant Russian authorities, including the Children’s Ombudsman of Russia, as well as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan. Before being sent back to Uzbekistan, the children were temporarily housed in childcare facilities across various regions of Russia.

Surayyo Rakhmonova, the Children’s Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, expressed her gratitude to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Children’s Ombudsman of Russia, for the prompt cooperation in ensuring the best interests of the children.

Earlier, in mid-August, eight children from Novosibirsk, who are among the 31, were returned to Uzbekistan. These children were repatriated from cities such as Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Vladivostok.

Prior to this, seven children were returned from Russia in July, and 17 in April.