Russian and Ukrainian hostages released: comments

Three Russians and five Ukrainians taken hostages in Baghdad, have been released.
The released power company employees said in an interview that the militants had treated them well. After learning that the hostages were from Russia, the militants released them and paid for a taxi to take them home.

”Currently they are in the office of their Interenergoservis power company. They are feeling well, and for the short period of being hostages did not even have time to get scared. There is no information who captured them”, a source in Russian Ministry of Energy reported.

Director of Interenergoservis power company Alexander Abramov said that his employees had been taken hostages by mistake.

There is no information about the Iraqi guard who was captured with Russians.

However, Newsinforo produced one more version of the incident: the forces willing to have Russia involved in the Iraqi conflict, could arrange taking Russians hostages. Russia has always requested withdrawal of the US troops and their replacement by the UN peace-keepers. In the conflict between Shiites and the US troops, Russian diplomats supported Iraqis, wrote Newsinfo. However, Russian government could hardly continue supporting the militants after their taking Russians hostages. And Russian public opinion could be changed from criticism of American military in Iraq to its support. 

Russian online newspaper Globalrus.ru commented on the incident:
”Chechen terrorists also used to release captured Englishmen and Germans after learning that they are from the countries “fighting Russian imperialism”. However, only those militants close to their political leaders, set foreign hostages free. Others requested ransom or killed the hostages. Yes, today the leaders of Iraqi revolt have their reasons to draw the line between “their enemies and other people”, but what will happen if the rebels win (or if they find themselves in trouble)? Now all ended well for our compatriots, but it is hard to say what will happen afterwards. Americans turned «ant hill” upside down, and big trouble is doomed.

It would be good if the current events could become a lesson for Americans and teach them to have careful attitude to our fragile world. The speeches on democracy and freedom and the need to grant them the peoples of the world would better fit to Hollywood movie characters than the real generals and Presidents”.

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