Speaking at the OSCE conference on counter-terrorism, Syromolotov said: "Russian law enforcement agencies currently possess information about over 4,000 Russian citizens who have left our country in order to participate in armed formations in Syria."
He noted that criminal cases had been started in absentia against almost 3,000 of these people and around 3,700 had been put on wanted lists.
Syromolotov added: "Despite the fact that many terrorists speak about their Russian origin, they demonstrate little drive to return to their home country, where they would practically inevitably face a harsh and just punishment. More often, they choose some comfortable territories in Europe where they can hide with relative success."
Russia's deputy foreign minister emphasized that the special services considered female terrorists just as dangerous as male ones, noting that in many cases women formed the most radicalized part of the whole terrorist underground.
The Russian official also warned that, despite the fact that the war against terrorism in Syria had practically been won, the terrorist groups had not given up the fight, and the international community should expect new hotbeds of extremism appearing in various places, including the OSCE countries.
