Ukrainian Maxim Kharkin returned from Hamas captivity: he has Russian citizenship (photo)
Later, the department published a photo of Maxim's meeting with his mother. YNET quoted the words of Maxim's relatives after his release from captivity. "After two painful years of uncertainty, anxiety and hope, Maxim returned to us. We thank the people of Israel for his endless support, the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Army and the security forces who fought day and night to return Maxim and the rest of our loved ones home," relatives of the liberated prisoner said.
They added that Maxim is currently beginning recovery and rehabilitation. One of the leaders of the Hamas Musa Marzuk terrorist organization previously stated the Russian media that after the agreement in the priority will be the release of Alexander Tropanov and Maxim Kharkin, who have Russian citizenship, writes Maariv. "Maxim Kharkin is a Ukrainian. At the time of capture he was not a Russian citizen. His family came to Russia and received a citizenship for him to help them release him.
He is not a citizen, he was a military, he served in the Israeli Defense Army," Abu Marzuk said. Maxim Kharkin moved to Israel with his mother, quotes Hromadske of Israel Hayom. He also has a younger brother Peter, Anna's civilian wife and five -year -old daughter Monica - they live in Russia. Kharkin's daughter must have Russian citizenship. Hamas took Maxima hostage on October 7, 2023, during an attack on the Nova Festival, where the husband came with his friend and his wife.
The couple was later found dead. The militants spread videos with prisoners, where Maxim and other prisoner - Bar Kuperstein - said that "die at a depth of 30 meters underground. " Israel and Hamas signed an agreement on ceasefire in the Gaza Sector on October 9 after indirect negotiations at the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh. The agreement also agreed on the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. On October 13, the media reported that Hamas released the first hostages.