A native of Donbass, released in Gaza, received Russian citizenship

Maxim Kharkin, a native of Donbass, who was released in the Gaza Strip, received Russian citizenship at the end of 2025. This was announced on January 14 by the press service of the Russian Embassy in Israel.

"[The Ambassador] Anatoly Viktorov also congratulated Maxim Kharkin on acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation at the end of 2025," the agency's Telegram channel said.

The ambassador met with Harkin and his mother and said that work was underway to rescue Harkin on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He wished him a speedy full recovery.

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On October 13, 2025, the Israeli Embassy in Russia handed over a photo of Harkin to Izvestia after he was released from Hamas hostages as part of an agreement to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The mother of the released man announced the next day that she planned to come to Moscow with him in order to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for rescuing the hostage.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.