Russia says its Africa Corps has freed Russian and Ukrainian citizens abducted in Niger

Russia's Africa Corps freed one Russian citizen and one Ukrainian who had been abducted by an al-Qaida affiliate in Niger in July 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry identified the freed captives as Russian citizen Oleg Gret and Ukrainian citizen Yuri Yurov. “As a result of a special operation conducted by the Africa Corps in the Republic of Mali, employees of a Russian geological exploration company captured in July 2024 in Niger by the terrorist group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin were freed," the statement said.