Russia welcomes release of Gaza hostages, hopes dual citizen Sasha Trufanov will be next

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov welcomes the return of three hostages to Israel last night and expresses hope that Russian-Israeli Sasha Trufanov will be freed soon.

“We welcome the release of three Israelis as part of the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas,” Viktorov says in a statement. “We hope that our compatriot Alexander Trufanov will also return home safely in the near future.”

Trufanov was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, along with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend, while his father, Vitaly, was murdered. His mother Yelena, grandmother Irena and girlfriend Sapir were all released as part of the November 2023 truce. Trufanov is on the list of 33 hostages slated to be released at some point in the next six weeks of the ceasefire’s first stage.

Viktorov adds that Russia has long “advocated for the early release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and in cooperation with interested parties in the region has made targeted efforts to resolve this urgent humanitarian task.” Moscow is “sincerely happy for the girls who have returned home, as well as their families and loved ones. We wish them a speedy recovery and a return to a full life.”