Russian Ambassador meets newly-freed hostage Sasha Trufanov

The Kremlin does not classify Hamas or Islamic Jihad – the group which held Trufanov – as terror organizations.

By World Israel News Staff

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov met with former Islamic Jihad hostage Alexander “Sasha” Trufanov just hours after his release from captivity, presenting him with a new Russian passport on Saturday.

The ambassador “sincerely welcomed the release of our compatriot,” the Russian Embassy in Israel wrote on its official X account, alongside images of Viktorov meeting with Trufanov at Sheba Hospital.

“Russian diplomats did not stop their efforts to free Alexander Trufanov for a single day,” the embassy added. “They were in constant contact with the Israeli and all interested parties in the region on this priority issue for us.”

The statement noted that advocacy efforts for Trufanov’s release were performed “on the instruction of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.”

Notably, the Kremlin does not classify Hamas or Islamic Jihad – the group which held Trufanov – as terror organizations.

Viktorov gave a new Russian passport to Trufanov, which he had previously applied for but “for obvious reasons, was unable to receive on time.”

Trufanov was kidnapped along with his mother, Yelena, grandmother, Irena, and girlfriend Sapir Cohen from his parent’s home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7th.

His father, Vitaly, was murdered by terrorists during the attack.

Trufanov’s mother and grandmother were released in a November 2023 agreement between the Kremlin and the terror group, which did not require concessions from Russia towards Hamas.

Cohen, his girlfriend, was released in an Israeli hostage deal that saw the majority of Israeli female and child captives freed from Gaza.

In recent months, Moscow raised concerns around Trufanov’s physical health, as he was shot twice during his abduction and was never provided with proper medical care.

A Russian government spokesman celebrating Trufanov’s release failed to mention that Israel had freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal.

“We thank the Hamas administration for its decision,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.