Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika says 650 criminal investigations have been launched against Russian citizens suspected of fighting alongside Islamist militants abroad.
Speaking at an international conference in the Russian city of Sochi on November 10, Chaika said the probes also include cases against Russians suspected of recruiting mercenaries and arranging for their passage abroad.
Chaika added that the Prosecutor-General’s Office had blocked 800 Internet resources suspected of spreading extremist materials and deleted "unlawful information" from 4,500 websites.
Sochi is hosting an International Association of Prosecutors regional conference for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia to discuss the battle against terrorism and violent extremism.
Earlier on November 10, Chaika said foreign nationals from 100 countries account for almost 40 percent of the overall number of people fighting alongside Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq.