Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met with Alexander Trufanov, a Russian-Israeli man recently freed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas after being held for over a year.
During their televised conversation on Wednesday, Putin expressed gratitude for Trufanov’s release and praised the strong ties between Russia and the Palestinian people.
“Thank God you are alive and well and you are here,” Putin told Trufanov, 29, who recounted being held for 498 days.
Although identified in Israel as Sasha Trupanov, his family name is spelled Trufanov in Russian.
Trufanov was released on February 15, just days after a Russian deputy foreign minister urged Hamas to honor its commitment to free him.
His mother Yelena, grandmother, and partner had been released earlier during a brief truce in November 2023. His father, Vitali Trupanov, was killed during the October 7 attack. The family originally moved to Israel from Russia in the late 1990s.
Appealing to Putin, Trufanov urged him to continue efforts to secure the release of others still in captivity.
“For me, when they are there, it’s as if half my heart is still there in Gaza. It will be very hard for me to return to my ordinary life while they are there,” he said. “Mr Putin, I really ask you to continue what you did for me and before (with other prisoners)… so that they can also be free and happy like I am now.”
“We will be working on this, definitely,” the Russian president assured him.
Putin emphasized that Trufanov’s release was made possible by Russia’s long-standing relationship with the Palestinian people.
“I think it’s necessary to express words of gratitude to the leadership, to the political wing of Hamas that they acted on our request and committed this action, a humanitarian act, and released you,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to advocate for the freedom of another Russian-Israeli citizen, Maxim Herkin, 35, who was kidnapped during a music festival. Herkin was seen alive in a video released by Hamas in April.
