cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/39244480

Russia's Africa Corps in Mali have liberated one Russian and one Ukrainian nationals who were abducted by terrorists in Niger in July 2024, the Russian defense ministry said.

TASS has summed up what is known about this to this moment.

Rescue operation

A special operation resulted in the release of the employees of a Russian geological exploration company who were kidnapped in July 2024, the Russian defense ministry said.

The men were captured in Niger by the terrorist group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’ (affiliates itself with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda that is outlawed in Russia).

The operation was conducted by the Africa Corps in Mali.

It took the Africa Corps servicemen "literally one hour" to complete the operation, one of the former captives said.

Condition of the released

The two released men are Russian citizen, Oleg Gret, born in 1962, and a citizen of Ukraine, Yury Yurov, born in 1970.

The men who were released from captivity in Mali have been diagnosed with multiple illnesses and severe physical exhaustion.

The former hostages will be transported by Russian military transport aircraft to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation.

The former captive’s activity

According to one of the former hostages, they were employed by a Russian geological company.

He said that he plans to return after rehabilitation and continue to work as a geologist.

On Monday, Malian President and Head of the Transition, Army General Assimi Goïta, was officially received at the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a significant step in the growing strategic partnership between Mali and the Russian Federation.

The high-level meeting, which included a private tête-à-tête between the two leaders and an expanded session with their respective delegations, set the stage for signing several cooperation agreements. These agreements are expected to span key sectors-defence, security, energy, infrastructure, and development—of critical interest to both countries.

Earlier, it was reported that President Goïta arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a multi-day official visit at the invitation of President Putin. His arrival was met with full honours, underlining the symbolic and geopolitical weight Moscow now attributes to its alliance with Bamako.

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For Mali, the visit shows a deliberate shift in foreign policy, part of its broader diplomatic reorientation away from traditional Western allies toward alternative partnerships. The move aligns with its increased engagement within the Confederation of Sahel States- includes Burkina Faso and Niger, all of which have faced growing tensions with former colonial powers.

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