&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is Elizabeth Tsurkov? Israeli-Russian student freed by Kata’ib Hezbollah after 903 days")
On Tuesday (September 9), Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian graduate student, was freed by the Kata’ib Hezbollah after 903 days of abduction. She had entered Iraq to conduct research for Princeton University, which is when she went missing. And it was later learned that she was kidnapped by Kata’ib Hezbollah. She spent over two years in captivity, and now, after her release, US President Donald Trump shared a post on social media announcing the same.
“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. I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!” Trump wrote in his TruthSocial post.
Elated about her sister's release, Emma Tsurkov wrote on X, "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. We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be."
She added, “We also want to thank Josh Harris and his team at the US Embassy in Baghdad for the support they provided to our sister and the team at the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister's safe return.”
About Elizabeth Tsurkov
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She was a PhD student at Princeton University and a fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. During her research in Iraq in 2023, she went missing. It is believed she has entered the country with her Russian passport. Tsurkov was in Iraq to complete her research work, and she was abducted from a cafe in Karrada area, as reported by AFP.
Israeli authorities have said that Kata’ib Hezbollah had a hand in the kidnapping, but the group has distanced itself from the claims. According to her bio, the doctoral student was passionate about human rights and was active on X, where she was seen publishing her work.
