Russian children send 45 tons of New Year’s presents to Syrian kids

The Russian military has delivered some 45 tons of presents collected by thousands of the country’s kids for children of the same ages in war-torn Syria. The gifts included Russian folk art handmade crafts and personal greetings.

The supplies were handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry as part of the all-Russian humanitarian initiative “Children of Russia – to Children of Syria,” TASS reports, citing the Russian military. The initiative, proposed by the children themselves, saw thousands of pupils from over 10 Russian regions taking part.

It also included the students of Russian military schools such as the renowned Suvorov Military School and the Nakhimov Naval Academy as well as ordinary pupils in Russian public schools.

Each individual package dispatched to Syria included a handmade item, which could be a postcard, a drawing, a clay figure or even a piece of self-penned poetry, besides other presents, the Russian Defense Ministry reported Tuesday.

Every pupil who took part in the initiative also sent a handwritten postcard with best wishes for the New Year to children in war-ravaged Syria.

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Some of the presents have already been distributed among Syrian children.

“This will raise their morale, and the holiday will acquire a positive note,” said Asif Assad, director of the Hashim Yusuf school, one of the first to receive the gifts from Russia, as cited by TASS. Assad also expressed his gratitude to Russia for providing basic supplies to the country’s population.

The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria is engaged in a months-long humanitarian mission in Syria and in particular the recently liberated city of Aleppo.

On Monday, another two tons of humanitarian aid were handed over to residents who left eastern Aleppo and have been living in a temporary accommodation facility in the Benezid area of the city. Hot meals and other necessities are also being provided by Russian officers.

Earlier this week a unit of the Russian military police arrived in Aleppo to help distribute humanitarian aid and protect Russian sappers demining areas cleared of militants in eastern Aleppo.

Meanwhile, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, terrorists and militant groups carried out 28 bombardments of Aleppo province and other areas, including Damascus, on Sunday and Monday.