Putin tells freed Russian hostage to 'thank Hamas' for his release

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov at the Kremlin after Troufanov was freed from 498 days of captivity by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Troufanov was joined by his mother and fiancée during the meeting, where Putin credited Russia’s longstanding ties in the Middle East for securing his release. He controversially urged Troufanov to “thank Hamas” for what he called a humanitarian act and emphasized Russia’s continued role as a mediator in the Israel-Gaza conflict—despite Moscow’s refusal to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization and its failure to condemn the October 7 attacks that killed at least 16 Russian citizens.