Iraq and US announce release of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov
Shafaq News – Baghdad / Washington (Updated at 01:27)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian researcher who had been missing in Iraq for more than two years.
Al-Sudani said in a post on X that the liberation came after “great efforts made by our security services over many long months,” stressing that Iraq would continue to enforce the law, uphold state authority, and prevent any actions that damage the country’s reputation.
تتويجا لجهود كبيرة بذلتها أجهزتنا الأمنية وعلى مدى شهور طويلة، نعلن عن تحرير المواطنة الروسية اليزابيث تسوركوف، نؤكد مرة أخرى أننا لن نتهاون في إنفاذ القانون وإعلاء سلطة الدولة، وعدم السماح لأي أحد بالإساءة الى سمعة العراق والعراقيين.
— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) September 9, 2025
Major General Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said the release followed a complex operation carried out by specialized agencies in coordination with multiple parties. He stated that Tsurkov had been abducted in March 2023 by “a group of outlaws” in what he described as a “crime that does not represent the true state of security and stability prevailing throughout Iraq’s cities."
According to al-Numan, Iraqi intelligence operations identified her location on September 9. She was then handed over to the US embassy in Baghdad for transfer to her sister, who holds American citizenship. He stressed that authorities are pursuing those involved in the kidnapping to bring them to justice.
In turn, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that Tsurkov, a Princeton University doctoral student who also holds American citizenship through her sister, had been freed. He also urged Hamas to release hostages in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also welcomed her release. “Through teamwork led by Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch, which lasted many long months and after great efforts, we succeeded in bringing about her release,” he said in a statement, adding that he had spoken with her sisters, Emma and Avital, telling them “all of Israel is happy to see her back home.”
Tsurkov, a doctoral researcher affiliated with both Princeton and Stanford, disappeared in Baghdad while conducting fieldwork. She is believed to have been held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned armed group sanctioned by Washington, although the group has publicly denied any role in her abduction.
