Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised Hamas for the release of Russian-Israeli hostage Alexander “Sasha” Troufanov but made no mention of the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two young children, who were returned to Israel earlier in the day .
During a meeting at the Kremlin with Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, Putin said he wished to send “best regards to Alexander Troufanov and his loved ones on his release from captivity.” He credited the development to Russia’s “consistent policy in ensuring Middle East stability, which has earned the trust of many partners in the region.”
3 View gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar at the Kremlin ( Photo: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS )
Putin went on to thank Hamas leaders, saying, “I know the efforts were not easy, but he and his family endured this period. Thank God he is home, surrounded by his loved ones.”
His remarks were in stark contrast to Russian state media’s coverage of the return of four Israeli hostage bodies earlier in the day. The Russian television network RT posted on social media that “Hamas carried four coffins, including those of small children, who were killed by war criminal Netanyahu.” Another report by RT described Hamas gunmen at the transfer as “resistance fighters carrying weapons in Gaza.”
3 View gallery ( Photo: Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP )
The Israeli Embassy in Moscow issued a sharp rebuke, condemning the reports as “not only entirely unprofessional but also deeply antisemitic and malicious.” The embassy called on RT to “immediately correct the damage to its credibility.”
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The broadcaster later removed to posts. “We have deleted two posts from earlier today, concerning the hostage handover in Gaza,” it wrote on X. “While we do not shy away from difficult subjects, these posts misrepresented the events in question. We remain committed to unflinching but fair coverage of the conflict.”
3 View gallery Released hostage Sasha Troufanov and Rabbi Lazar
Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin commended RT for its decision. “On this sad day for us in Israel, I appreciate the decision of @RT to do the right thing – correct what needed to be corrected, a horrible misrepresentation of the brutal yet another Hamas demonstrations of cruelty, and uphold its role as a media outlet. [A]appreciated,” she wrote.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Russian state media—largely under government control—has repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes while aligning itself with Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
Moscow’s stance comes despite years of Israel maintaining a careful diplomatic balance with Russia under Netanyahu, refraining from criticism even amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Analysts have pointed to Israel’s past efforts to preserve coordination with Russia, particularly regarding Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian weapons shipments in Syria.