Relatives recognize Russian children in Iraq after RT coverage goes viral

People claiming to be relatives of the children shown in RT coverage from an Iraqi orphanage have contacted the news outlet after the video went viral.

The heartbreaking RT video from an orphanage in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was shared on the Instagram page of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Wednesday evening. Since then the footage has gathered more than 250,000 views in less than a day, RT reports.

“These children speak Russian. They don’t have parents. They don’t remember their names, but recall pain, fear and death… Maybe someone can recognize these children,” Kadyrov wrote.

Earlier, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan raised awareness of the issue, calling for people to email children@rttv.ru if they recognized the children. Her call was then followed by Kadyrov.