MOSCOW. Oct 26 (Interfax) - The Kremlin has doubts about the report by Soufan Group U.S. consulting company, according to which most of the international terrorist fighters operating in Syria are Russian, although admits that the threat of militants' return to the home country exists.
"We do not assess the conclusions drawn by this report in any way. We are not quite sure whether we can trust this information and do not know what it is based on and what sources of information the company possesses," Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"In fact, we are inclined to doubt credibility of this information," Peskov said.
When he decided to launch the Syria campaign at the request of the legitimate authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, "in addition to fighting terrorism, Russia had the goal of protecting national security, considering that several thousands of people with origin in Russia, including the North Caucasus, were currently staying in the territories controlled by ISIL (banned in Russia)," he said.
"I am urging you to recall those words of the Russian president," Peskov said.
As to the report's allegation that about 400 militants had returned to Russia, Peskov said, "Again, I'd call those numbers into question. But I also want to remind you that the potential danger posed by the return of people who once joined the terrorists to their home country, i.e. Russia, was noted on various levels," he said.
"This is a danger, and our security services are well aware of that. The deterrence of this potential threat is a priority," Peskov said.