A SET of Russian quintuplets born prematurely at the John Radcliffe Hospital have been discharged.

The five little girls were born by Caesarean section at 26 weeks on November 10 last year.

Some of the quins, who were born at weights between 1lb 13oz and 2lb 2oz, had been treated in intensive care at the hospital until their release last week.

Teachers Dmitri and Varvara Artamkin, both 29, will take Tatiana, Elizaveta, Alexandra, Nadezhda and Varvara will return to Moscow next month.

The little girls, who need special care after being born 14 weeks early, are the first set of live quins born in the UK for more than a decade.

Their mother came to the John Radcliffe for help after doctors in her own country advised her to have selective terminations to reduce the number of foetuses - an option she rejected due to her religious beliefs.

All the family's medical costs have been met by a group of Russian philanthropists.