The Israeli ambassador to Moscow, Simona Halperin, announced in an interview with RBK an unprecedented collaboration between Israel and Russia to obtain the release of three hostages held by Hamas, including Maxim Harkin, originally from Donbass. These captives do not appear in the lists of the first phase of the release agreement.
Harkin’s case illustrates the complexity of transnational family ties: although not a Russian citizen, his daughter was born and lives in Russia, while his mother recently obtained Russian citizenship. This particular situation led Moscow to become involved in efforts for his release.
“We are working with Russian authorities on the case of Maxim Harkin and two other hostages whose fate is of concern to the Russian Federation,” Halperin explained, maintaining confidentiality on the identity of the other two captives. The ambassador is optimistic about Moscow’s potential role: “I sincerely believe that if the Russian side insists enough, it will be able to facilitate their release.”
-However, Halperin made it clear that Russia is not directly participating in the negotiations, suggesting instead a role as an influential intermediary. This diplomatic initiative underlines the growing importance of international efforts to obtain the release of hostages still held in Gaza.
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