The Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah militia in Iraq is trying to spin the release of Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov. It wants to make it seem that the militia released her to “spare” Iraq conflict and to get US forces to withdraw from Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office in Iraq also released a statement making it seem like Iraq’s government had done everything correctly over the last 900 days as she was held in the country.
Tsurkov holds Israeli and Russian citizenship. She was kidnapped in March 2023 and held for more than 900 days. US President Donald Trump announced her release on September 9.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Office put out a statement ascribed to the Spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It said “in late March of 2023, a group of outlaws kidnapped the Russian citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov while she was in the capital, Baghdad, in a crime that does not reflect the reality of the security situation in all Iraqi cities.”
The statement ignores the fact that Tsurkov was also Israeli. She was kidnapped by the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah, part of the Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces. As such, Kata'ib Hezbollah is actually closely linked to the government.
Iraq claims that “our security services have continued their work and movements away from the media, to preserve the confidentiality of the information, and to ensure the safety of the kidnapped Russian citizen.”
Iraq claims it used intelligence efforts and also also “coordination with several internal parties at a great level of national and humanitarian feeling, the competent authorities were able on September 9, [2025] to reveal the place of her detention and access to it, and later hand her over to the United States Embassy, which in turn will take care of delivering her to her sister who holds American citizenship.”
Iraq pretends that its security forces did what was required and that they will pursue those involved in the crime of kidnapping her.
This is strange, since it is widely known she was held by Kata'ib Hezbollah which has forces and offices openly in Iraq. Iraq’s government portrays her as being “liberated” or freed, against the will of the militia. The Iraqi spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces says this is about the “reputation of Iraq, its security and stability, and we confirm that our armed forces and all our security services and formations will not slacken in the performance of their duty in imposing the authority of the law and defending the state and its institutions, and holding accountable those who try to harm security.”
How Iraqi media is spinning the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov
However, sources in Iraq are also spinning this for media to make it seem this will prevent conflict in Iraq.
Al-Akhbar media in Lebanon, which is generally seen as pro-Iran, includes a report on Tsurkov’s release where Kata'ib Hezbollah claims that Tsurkov was not freed by the government. Instead, Kata'ib Hezbollah claims to have freed Tsurkov.
“For his part, a source in the Hezbollah Brigades told Agence France-Presse that Tsurkov's release was made on the condition that ‘Iraq be spared any conflict.’”
This is part of the spin.
“While the Kata'ib Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for Tsurkov's kidnapping, the source said, ‘The operation that took place was a release, not a liberation. No military operation was carried out to free her, but she was released in accordance with conditions, the most important of which was to pave the way for the withdrawal of US forces without a fight, sparing Iraq any conflict or fighting.’”
Iraq appears to want to wring concessions for having freed her. It took 900 days, but authorities in Baghdad are making it seem as if they did what was expected.