Russians, Belarusian held in Chad return to Moscow

17/11/2024 12:06

        A group of four Russian and Belarusian nationals, detained in the central African state of Chad for more than a month, flew back to Moscow on Saturday, Russian media reported.
        
        State news agency RIA said the group included Maxim Shugalei, identified as a sociologist but described by Western journalists and institutions, including the European Union, as an official linked to the late head of Russia's Wagner Group, a private army.
        
        "Three Russians and a citizen of Belarus, who were detained and held in Chad, have been freed and arrived in Moscow this evening," RIA quoted "colleagues" of Shugalei as saying.
        
        The Moscow daily Kommersant said the return of the four men had been confirmed by the Fund to Protect National Values, a group promoting Russian cultural interests abroad.
        
        Russian media reported that Shugalei and a second man identified as Samir Seifan were detained at the airport in the Chad capital Ndjamena in September, with no reason given.
        
        RIA said the Chadian ambassador to Moscow, Adam Bechir, subsequently announced that President Mahamat Idriss Deby had ordered that the four men be released and handed over to Russian authorities.