Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday at the Kremlin with Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, a former hostage held by Hamas, along with his mother Elena and fiancée Sapir Cohen, the Kremlin said in a statement.
During the meeting, Putin expressed shock upon learning that Troufanov had spent 498 days in captivity in Gaza. He said Russia would continue working to secure the release of the hostages still held by Hamas.
Putin with Russian-Israeli Alexander Trufanov and his family, freed from Hamas captivity back in FebVows to do everything possible to get all remaining hostages outLeans back and shakes his head when Trufanov says just how many days he spent as a hostage pic.twitter.com/TcJIr932cJ
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2025
How was Troufanov kidnapped on October 7?
Troufanov had been living in Tel Aviv with Cohen. On October 7, the couple traveled to visit his family in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border. They were abducted along with several members of Troufanov’s family during the Hamas-led massacre that left over 1,200 people dead.
Following the hostage deal in November 2023, Troufanov remained in captivity while his mother, fiancée, and grandmother were released. Cohen, 29, Elena Troufanov, 50, and Irina Tati, 73, were freed after 54 days in captivity during the sixth round of releases. Their release was described as a gesture to Putin, due to their dual Russian-Israeli citizenship.
Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was murdered by Hamas terrorists during the attack on October 7.
