Israeli envoy: Moscow trying to help free 3 hostages without Russian citizenship
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin reveals that Jerusalem is working with Moscow to help free three hostages held in Gaza who do not have Russian citizenship.
In an interview with the Russian RBC news agency, Halperin notes the ongoing work to help free Russian-Israeli hostage Sasha Trufanov, who is on the list of 33 hostages expected to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire. In addition, she says, there are conversations regarding hostage Maxim Herkin, a native of Ukraine whose mother and daughter have Russian citizenship, and who is not currently slated for release.
Halperin says in the interview that “it is important to say that I am working with the Russian side to release the hostages not only with Russian citizenship,” saying there is work toward the release of “Maxim Herkin and two other hostages, whose fate Russia is concerned about.”
The ambassador says she won’t reveal the other two names, and that they are not on the list of those being freed in the first stage: “We very much hope that the Russian side will be able to really help in this. I sincerely believe that if the Russian side insistently demands it, it will be able to help free these three hostages.”
During the weeklong November 2023 ceasefire and hostage release, Hamas freed Russian-Israeli Roni Krivoy outside of the deal framework, in what it said was a gesture toward Moscow.