Two Moldovan nationals that had been held hostage in Afghanistan since 2015 were freed. They now receive care at a Moscow hospital and will be back in Moldova by the week’s end. This was announced today by President Igor Dodon, who underlined the Russian negotiating effort and his own role in requesting it.

Speaking at a press briefing, the president recalled that the helicopter crew had been captured after a crash in November 2015. The surviving crew members Lionel Buruiana and Mihai Crihana had since been held hostage by the Taliban, kept in a hole in the ground and fed only bread and water, according to a presidential aide.
 
Throughout this period, negotiations were ongoing with the Taliban leadership to free the Moldovans. “We were able to solve this only with the help of the Russian Federation leadership, who responded at my personal solicitation for help”, stated Dodon.

The president went on to add that Buruiana and Crihana were taken to Moscow and were now undergoing medical rehabilitation. As soon as doctors allow, our compatriots will return to their families, and perhaps the president will travel himself to the Russian capital to accompany them back.

According to Dodon, who didn’t take any questions from reporters during the briefing, the negotiations were not made public because any leakage would have been damaging.

The Mi-17 helicopter belonged to a Moldovan company providing civil aviation services under a US government contract.