Putin tells freed Russian hostage to thank Hamas for ‘humanitarian act’ of releasing him after 500 days in captivity
Vladimir Putin met with freed Russian-Israeli hostage Sasha Troufanov, who spent nearly 500 days in captivity in Gaza, and urged him to thank his Hamas captors for the “humanitarian act” of releasing him.
“The fact that you managed to go free is the result of the fact that Russia has stable, long-term relations with the Palestinian people, with its representatives, and with a wide variety of organizations,” the Russian president told Troufanov at the Kremlin, where he was joined by his mother, Elena Trufanova, and partner, Sapir Cohen, who were also both abducted by Hamas.
“I think we need to express words of gratitude to the political wing of Hamas for cooperating with us and carrying out this humanitarian act,” the Russian president said in a clip posted by Russian state-funded network RT.
Putin added that he would continue to work with Hamas to ensure that other hostages are released and shook his head in disbelief after Troufanov told him he was held for 498 days, according to the video.
Troufanov, 29, was released in February from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad custody along with American father Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36; and Yair Horn, who were all paraded on stage in a propaganda ceremony in Khan Younis before handed over to the Red Cross.
Upon his release, Putin praised Hamas leadership’s “goodwill” and emphasized Moscow’s diplomatic role in the Middle East during a meeting with Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Putin, who’s been busy waging war in Ukraine, has commended the terrorist group despite 16 Russian citizens being killed at their hands during the Oct. 7 attack, not including those taken hostage, according to the paper.
Rather than condemn Hamas, the Russian strongman blamed US policies for conflict and has compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to that of Nazi Germany.
Troufanov was kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, alongside his mother, grandmother and girlfriend. His father, Vitaly, was among those massacred in the attack. The women were released in November 2023 during a short-lived pause in the fighting.
When he was freed, Troufanov embraced his mother and Cohen aboard a helicopter, and later sprinted through a hospital corridor to hold his grandmother, photos and video footage showed.
Amazon faced criticism in May 2024 when it was revealed that Troufanov worked for the company but had not commented on the situation publicly.
After his release, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said they could not comment on Troufanov’s abduction out of “fear that we would negatively impact their ability to be released or how they were treated in captivity.”
