Rukban

On November 3, 2018, Russian military police escorted a UN humanitarian convoy moving from Damascus to a 55-kilometer security zone around the U.S. base at Mount Tanf. A convoy consisting of more than 100 air vehicles covered two Mi-8AMTSh helicopters of Russia and one Mi-24. UN representatives delivered food products, foodstuffs, medicines, and basic necessities with a total weight of 450 tons to Rukban ^{[2] [3]} .

In November 2018, Yuri Tarasov, an official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the ceasefire and humanitarian assistance task forces in Geneva, said that about 50 thousand people were detained in Er-Rukban. Tarasov noted the critical situation in the camp, where there is no water and electricity, and people "huddle in the shacks with cesspools." Also, refugees cannot receive medical assistance, and humanitarian supplies are intercepted by militants ^[4] .

In February 2019, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, told reporters that the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties, together with the Syrian government, will deploy checkpoints for refugees from the Rukban camp in the areas of Dzhleb and Jebel al-Gourab on February 19. The Russian Ministry of Defense called on the American command and leaders of illegal armed groups in the Et-Tanf zone to release at least women and children who are forcibly held by militants in inhuman conditions from the refugee camp ^[5] .

Robert Palladino, deputy head of the US Department of State’s press service, said in a widespread written statement on February 18 that the United States “will not and will not impede the movement of any internally displaced persons wishing to leave the camp,” Rookan, and “will not force anyone “to leave” from him. Palladino believes that the process of organizing the exit should be “closely coordinated with the relevant UN agencies.” A joint statement issued by the interagency coordination headquarters of the Russian Federation and Syria on the return of refugees, circulated on February 16, said that humanitarian aid sent to the Rukban refugee camp almost never reaches them, remaining in the hands of U.S.-controlled militants. According to the World Health Organization, about 40 thousand people are currently in Er-Rukban, mainly women and children ^[6] .

On February 19, humanitarian corridors were opened in the towns of Jleb and Jebel al-Gourab for Syrian citizens to leave the Rukban camp. Here, the departments of the meeting, medical examination, sanitary and epidemiological treatment, food, rest, paperwork, as well as the material support and sending of refugees to places of residence were expanded. Security at checkpoints and escort to locations are provided by the Syrian army and security service in conjunction with the Russian military police. Places for camps and centers for temporary accommodation of refugees in the province of Reef Damascus have been prepared to accommodate arrivals of refugees ^[7] .

In February 2019, representatives of the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) interviewed refugees in Rukban to assess the situation in the camp and people's opinions regarding their future. The results of the survey showed the following: 95% of the residents want to leave the camp, 83% of the respondents would like to return to their places of permanent residence, while 80% of them - to the territory controlled by the government, 3% - to areas outside the control of the Syrian authorities, 17% - not decided.

On March 3, at a briefing in the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Viktor Kupchishin said that in accordance with a decision taken at a meeting of the interagency coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria on the return of refugees to the territory of the SAR, on March 1, in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Er Rukban camp six bus columns for the voluntary and unhindered return of camp residents to their places of permanent residence. This information was communicated to the Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the SAR. The American side, however, refused to provide security guarantees for the movement of humanitarian convoys within the 55-kilometer zone around the American base at Eth-Tanf ^{[8] [9]} .

On March 6, an emergency joint statement was issued by the interdepartmental coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria, which said that the command of the US group in the Et-Tanf zone, refusing to take responsibility for ensuring the safe and unhindered movement of convoys through the 55-kilometer controlled zone, in fact thwarted a humanitarian operation to rescue Syrian citizens in the camp of Rukban. The document emphasized that there was no question of any next humanitarian convoy to the camp, the need for which is declared by the American military controlling the Al-Tanf area, while the inhabitants of the camp continue to be held hostage by US-controlled units. The leaders of the coordination headquarters called on the American side “to move from populism to real action: to release the illegally detained residents of the Rukban camp, to ensure their right to free (without payment) access to places of permanent residence, to provide guarantees for the safe passage of humanitarian automobile convoys through the illegally occupied zone of Et Tanf. " Chiefs of staff also called on the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to take concrete steps, and not confine themselves to statements about concern about the fate of Syrian refugees: “As practice has shown, no humanitarian convoys with food can solve the humanitarian catastrophe in Rukban.” Only its complete elimination can end the suffering of the Syrians who are not there of their own free will ” ^[10] .

On May 22, the provincial deputy governor, Homs, Amel Khalil, said the Syrian government had set up five temporary accommodation centers in the province. In these centers, refugees who leave the Rukban camp receive water, food, medical care and housing until they are granted a new permanent residence. ^{[11] [12] [13]} .

As of June 10, 2019, the Syrian government, with the support of the Russian side, provided the exit from the camp for more than 13.5 thousand Syrian refugees living there. They were taken to temporary reception centers in the provinces of Homs and Damascus , where they received the necessary humanitarian and medical assistance. From these centers, refugees are given the opportunity to go to their chosen place of residence. At the same time, about 29 thousand people still remained in Rukban, most of them women and children ^[14] .

In July 2019, US Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey said that the United States did not intend to organize the supply of food and medicine to people held in the Rookan camp: “If we feed them, it will look like we want to stay there [in Syria ] forever, and for them there may be other opportunities, for example, in the north-eastern or north-western part of the country ... We cannot commit ourselves to a long-term presence in Al-Tanf or elsewhere in Syria ” ^[15] .