ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump late Tuesday announced that Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah has released Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, a US citizen, after more than two years in captivity. “I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani confirmed her release, saying it came “as a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services.” “We announce the release of the Russian citizen, Elizabeth Tsurkov,” Sudani said. “We reaffirm, once again, that we will not tolerate any compromise in enforcing the law and upholding the authority of the state, nor will we allow anyone to undermine the reputation of Iraq and its people.” Tsurkov, a Princeton University academic, was abducted in Baghdad in 2023. Her sister Emma Tsurkov welcomed her release, thanking Trump and US officials for “the support they provided.” “My entire family is incredibly happy. We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days,” she wrote on X. In May, media reports suggested a potential prisoner exchange involving Iran, Iraq, and Israel, with claims that Tsurkov could be swapped for members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a detained member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and several other Iranians held in US custody. At the time, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce dismissed the speculation as “categorically false.” In July 2023, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kataib Hezbollah of Elizabeth’s kidnapping, saying she was still alive and had visited Iraq on her Russian passport. Israel held Baghdad responsible for her safety.
