Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov, right, arrives in an ambulance at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan after being released following more than two years in captivity by an Iraqi militia, September 10, 2025. (Jonathan Shaul/Flash90)
Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli-Russian academic kidnapped in Iraq over two years ago and released last night, has landed in Israel, says the Prime Minister’s Office and the Mossad.
She stopped in Cyprus on the way from Iraq to Israel.
In the joint statement, Mossad chief David Barnea thanks his Cypriot counterpart for his help.
“The cooperation between the two states proves itself once again,” says the PMO and Mossad.
Elizabeth Tsurkov in an undated photo (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Meanwhile, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Tsurkov, who had been held by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, was freed in exchange for the release of the son of a senior militia figure.
The paper cites sources as saying the son of a senior official in one of the militias had been involved in an attack on Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry in June and was arrested by state authorities, and has now been released in exchange for Tsurkov.
According to the report, no ransom was paid for her release, but there had been previous American threats against the Kataib Hezbollah militia, which is most likely the group that held Tsurkov.
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