Russian rescuers to return home after search operations in quake-hit Türkiye

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russian rescuers will return from Türkiye as the search and rescue operation is coming to an end.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said the Russian team worked "professionally" and "selflessly."

"It is already obvious that the rescue part of the operation is coming to an end, this is the main reason (for the return of the rescuers), it is absolutely clear," he said.

Besides locals, over 9,000 search, rescue and aid personnel from 80 countries are working on the ground in quake-hit regions, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Peskov also praised the work of journalists covering the rescue operation, saying they always risk their lives to convey the ground situation to the public.

The magnitude 7.6 and 7.7 tremors on Feb. 6 were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

They also hit several countries and caused widespread destruction in northern Syria.

More than 31,600 people were killed in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures, while the death toll topped 3,600 in Syria.

- 'Mercenaries' in Ukraine

Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the spokesman said hiring mercenaries will not help Kyiv change the course of the war, but may delay it and cause more suffering to the Ukrainian people.

He added that the participation of foreigners in the battles on the side of Ukraine is well known.

"It is no secret that our military on the front line hears the foreign speech of foreign mercenaries. These are not the events of the last days, it has been happening for a long time," he said.

About NATO's support to Ukraine, Peskov said: "NATO is an organization hostile to us, which confirms its hostility every day and which is trying its best to make its involvement in the conflict around Ukraine as clear as possible."

Commenting on remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who called appearance of unidentified balloons over the US "an example of Chinese and Russian intelligence," Peskov advised not to blame anyone, and that "it is better that the Americans themselves deal with this story."