Hosting Sasha Troufanov and his family, Russian president avoids terms like ‘hostages’ or ‘captivity’, says that their release was made possible by Russia’s longstanding ties with the Palestinian people and their representatives
Ynet News
In a highly unusual move, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted on Wednesday former hostages at the Kremlin for the first time since the war in Gaza began and expressed gratitude to Hamas for what he called the ‘humanitarian act’ of releasing them.
The meeting included Sasha Troufanov, freed in a hostage exchange in February, along with his mother, Yelena, and his partner, Sapir Cohen, both released in an earlier deal. In a video circulated by Russian state media, Putin is seen presenting flowers to Yelena and Sapir and shaking Sasha’s hand.
Throughout the conversation, Putin notably refrained from using terms like ‘hostages’ or ‘captivity’ but pledged that Russia ‘will do everything possible’ to help free the remaining captives.
Troufanov told the president he had been held for 498 days, prompting Putin to lean back and shake his head. Putin expressed condolences for the death of Sasha’s father, Vitaliy, who was killed in the October 7 massacre, but avoided using the word ‘murder.’ ‘Unfortunately, the father of the family is no longer with you, but this is a tragedy we should not delve into now,’ he said.
‘I don’t want to assign political judgments,’ Putin added, ‘but what happened to you is a great misfortune. Your release was made possible by Russia’s longstanding ties with the Palestinian people and their representatives. I believe we must thank the Hamas leadership for taking this humanitarian step and releasing you.’
Troufanov responded with a heartfelt plea for continued support. ‘It’s important for me to say that I’m deeply grateful for your actions that led to our release. And it’s very important to me, in this moment, that all the other hostages be freed as well — because I know how they feel. I know what it’s like to be there, how hard it is, how sad they are,’ he said.
Troufanov’s mother, Yelena, also addressed Putin, thanking him and the Russian government for their efforts, crediting their release in November 2023 to Russia’s intervention. ‘I want to personally thank you and the entire Russian government for your efforts to secure our release. I know that my mother and I were freed at the end of November 2023 thanks to Russia’s efforts and your personal involvement,’ she said.
‘When I was released and found out that day that my husband had been murdered, and that my only son — my mother’s only grandson — had been kidnapped and was still in captivity, it marked the beginning of a very difficult period. This past year has been extremely hard for me.’