Ilya Varlamov and Pyotr Verzilov, detained in South Sudan, were released

Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov and blogger Ilya Varlamov, who were detained in South Sudan, have been released. This was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Other Russians detained along with them were also released - Varlamov's wife Lyubov, as well as the director of the European Gymnasium Ivan Bogantsev and their acquaintance Vadim Ginzburg.

The Foreign Ministry reported that the issue of the departure of Russians from South Sudan is now being resolved.

• The Russians were detained in the city of Kapoeta on the morning of January 13th. Varlamov himself said that they were removed from the flight and taken to the police because of the remote control from the drone, which was found in his luggage - the Russians were suspected of allegedly being able to "shoot military installations from a drone." At the same time, the drone itself was not in the luggage - it was confiscated in Uganda, which the Russians visited earlier.
• The Russians came to South Sudan as ordinary tourists.