MOSCOW. Nov 24 (Interfax-AVN) - Slovak citizen Miriam Jevikova, who was kidnapped in the North Caucasus on June 1 while working for a Czech organization that assists refugees, has been freed.
"Jevikova has been freed in a special operation, without a single shot being fired and without a ransom. Her condition is satisfactory," a spokesman for the Southern Federal District's law enforcement department told Interfax on Wednesday.
The Federal Security Service has confirmed Jevikova's release.
"The operation to free the Slovak citizen was carried out by the FSB," an FSB spokesman told Interfax. He declined to disclose the details of the operation.
Jevikova, 28, went missing on her way from Pyatigorsk to Vladikavkaz on June 1.
The human rights center Memorial reported that on the morning of June 1, Jevikova left Pyatigorsk in a taxi but did not reach Vladikavkaz and had not got in touch with her colleagues since then.
She arrived in Pyatigorsk on May 18 as a member of a delegation of the Czech organization assisting refugees and visited Nazran on May 19. On May 23, the delegation flew to Moscow and Jevikova remained in Pyatigorsk.
Organization head Martin Rozumek earlier told Interfax that the kidnappers had demeaned $1 billion for Jevikova's release. Jevikova was being looked for with Interpol's assistance.
"The kidnapers made four mobile phone calls to us to demand a ransom. The first call was made on July 1. We do not know who called and from where," Rozumek said.
He also said that Jevikova had been planning to visit Chechnya.
"She did not disappear. She was kidnapped between Ingushetia and North Ossetia. She wanted to meet with friends and refugees in Ingushetia and Chechnya," said Rozumek.
Some of the mass media earlier reported that on the day of her disappearance, Jevikova sent out an SMS message from her mobile telephone, reading "I've been being dragged around fields for two hours."
The kidnapping was investigated by the Stavropol territorial prosecutor's office.