Oleg Eliseev: Freedom from captivity

The crew of the Pakistani Mi-17 helicopter, captured by Afghan Taliban, was released and delivered to Islamabad. Russian navigator Sergei Sevastyanov was transferred to the Russian Embassy in Pakistan, soon he must return home. None of the six people who were captured by the Talibin militants were injured.

The liberation of the Mi-17 crew, which were captured by the Taliban after a rigid landing in Afghanistan, the Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune said with reference to its own source. According to the publication, five Pakistanis and one Russian were transferred to the tribal chapters in the city of Parachikar, located in the north-west of Pakistan.

Later, this information was confirmed by Russian and Pakistani diplomats. According to the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Mohammed Nafis Zakaria, the exchange occurred on the Afghan-Pakistani border with the participation of the elders of the tribes of both countries. According to the agency, all crew members were delivered to Islamabad. The navigator from Russia Sergey Sevastyanov was transferred to the Russian Embassy in the capital of Pakistan.

“Currently, Sergey Konstantinovich is located on the territory of the embassy. Our employees take the necessary measures to apply for him through the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, as well as in cooperation with JSC “Helicopters of Russia” - airline tickets for returning to their homeland, ” TASS TASS TASS in Russia in Pakistan Alexander Khozin. According to him, Sevastyanov’s mental state and physical health are normal.

The special representative of the President of Russia, the director of the Second Department of Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zamir Kabulov on the air of the Echo of Moscow radio station noted the actions of the Pakistani authorities in the release of the helicopter crew. “The Pakistani authorities played an important role here, who asked the elders of the Pakistani Pashtun tribes to conduct these negotiations, and they, as a result of negotiations, achieved this success,” Kabulov said. He stated that we are talking about the release of the Russian, and not about the exchange. In an interview with the Russia 24 channel, Kabulov added that the Russian navigator should return home within one to two days.

“It is expected that in the very near future the Russian will be transferred to the Russian Embassy in Islamabad, which organizes his return to his homeland. We express our deep gratitude to the Pakistani authorities for the energetic efforts to liberate a citizen of Russia, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On August 4, the Pakistani helicopter Mi-17 made a rigid landing in the Afghan province of Logar due to technical problems. The helicopter flew out of Peshavar was sent to Russia to undergo repair work. The six people on board were captured by the Taliban, the helicopter burned down. For their liberation, the government of Pakistan involved official and unofficial channels. None of the crew members were injured.