MOSCOW. July 6 (Interfax) - The Kremlin will ask the Russian Foreign Ministry for information regarding a Russian-Israeli citizen reportedly being held hostage in Iraq, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"No, we do not have information of this kind. Of course, we will ask the Foreign Ministry, as measures for protecting our interests are usually taken by our diplomatic agencies," Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
He was asked whether the Kremlin was aware of a report from the Israeli prime minister's office, which said that a citizen of Russia and Israel, researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, was being held hostage in Iraq.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is also a citizen of Russia, was abducted in Iraq several months ago and remained a hostage, the Jerusalem Post said.
The government believes that fighters of the Hezbollah Shia formation kidnapped Tsurkov in March 2023.
Diplomatic sources gave assurances that the Israeli authorities were doing their best to release and bring her back to Israel by using every channel available, and remained in touch with her family.
Tsurkov went to Iraq on a Russian passport to gather material for the PhD thesis she is working on at Princeton University, a senior diplomat told the Jerusalem Post. She may have also visited Lebanon and Syria, he said, adding that Israeli citizens are prohibited by law from visiting hostile countries, even on a third country's passport.