MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Emergencies Ministry has begun an operation to withdraw Russian citizens from Iraq.
"An IL-62 Classic airliner of the Russian Emergencies Ministry flew from Moscow to Baghdad at 11:42 a.m. Moscow time (0842 GMT) on Thursday to provide Russians and citizens from a number of CIS countries with the opportunity to leave Iraq," a source with the Ministry told Interfax.
"At this stage - from March 6-10 - there are plans to organize five flights of Emergencies Ministry's planes," Marina Ryklina, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told Interfax.
Deputy Emergencies Minister Yuri Brazhnikov told Interfax that the operation does not imply the full evacuation of Russians from Iraq. "Many Russian specialists working in Iraq do not see fit to leave the country and will continue to work there. The Russian Embassy in Baghdad is working as usual," he said.
The jet that has flown to Baghdad is expected to return to Moscow with passengers on Thursday.