It is difficult to define the relationship between the Kremlin and the Islamist movement, which Moscow does not describe as terrorist. In fact, this Thursday the Russian Foreign Ministry thanked “the leaders of Hamas” for the release of two Russian hostages the day before.
According to the State Department, the release of the two women was “not conditional on the fulfillment of the conditions agreed between Israel and Hamas” for hostages of other nationalities, without disclosing the number of Russian hostages still in Hamas’s hands. As a reminder, another Russian citizen was released last week.
On Thursday, October 26, Russia welcomed a Hamas delegation led by a member of its politburo, Moussa Abou Marzouk. After that meeting, Russian diplomatic sources anonymously assured press agencies that the issue of hostages was at the center of discussions. More broadly, Russia maintains contacts with almost every actor, from the Middle East to the Arabian-Persian Gulf, and, above all, has taken an openly anti-Israel turn, evident both in its initiatives at the United Nations and in the official reactions following Hamas attack.