Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian graduate student at Princeton University, has been released after being held hostage by the Iraqi Shia militia Kata'ib Hezbollah for 903 days. US President Donald Trump announced the news on TruthSocial on Tuesday, stating that Tsurkov was now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after enduring months of torture.
Tsurkov went missing in Baghdad in March 2023 while conducting academic research for Princeton, using her Russian passport to enter Iraq. The Israeli government later confirmed she had been abducted by pro-Iranian militants. A video of her was broadcast on Iraqi television in November 2023.
The circumstances of her release remain unclear, though press reports from May indicated ongoing talks between the US and Iraq. Trump credited his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler, and the US Embassy in Baghdad for securing her freedom.
Tsurkov's sister, Emma Tsurkov, expressed the family's joy on X, thanking President Trump, Adam Boehler, and the nonprofit Global Reach for their relentless advocacy. 'We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days,' she wrote.
