Russia’s army said Tuesday Africa Corps freed two hostages in Mali, employees of a Russian geology company.
They were held nearly two years after capture by the al-Qaeda-linked GSIM group in neighbouring Niger.
In August 2024 GSIM released video showing two men seized in Mbanga, southwest Niger, from a Russian geology company.
Moscow said they were taken hostage the month before in July 2024 during operations in Niger’s volatile borderlands.
The freed men are Oleg Greta, a Russian born in 1962, and Yuri Yurov, a Ukrainian born in 1970.
The defence ministry said they were released through a special operation conducted by Russia’s Africa Corps in Mali.
Officials reported medical checks showing severe exhaustion and multiple health conditions after prolonged captivity.
Video released by Moscow showed the pair slumped, one leaning on a pillow beneath a thin blanket.
Africa Corps has largely absorbed Wagner’s former operations across Africa, including deployments in Libya and Mali.
Mbanga in Tillaberi, near Burkina Faso and Mali, is known for gold mines and repeated hostage incidents.
Russia has deployed instructors and paramilitary teams across Sahel juntas, backing anti-militant campaigns while expanding its African footprint amid the Ukraine war.
