The article focuses on the efforts undertaken by Russia jointly with the Syrian authorities to manage the refugee return process following the end of major fighting in the summer of 2018. The main attention is paid to the Russian approach, including its key elements, institutions and their functions. Results of the first year of the refugee return campaign are analyzed and major obstacles that impede the return process are identified. The author sees attempts to lay full responsibility for refugees return on Moscow alone as unsubstantiated and argues that Russia has been forced to take up the role of the key external sponsor for this process as other powers tend to neglect it.