4 August 2016, 17:24 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian officials are in contact with authorities on the ground to verify reports of a Russian citizen possibly kidnapped by the Taliban aboard Pakistan’s helicopter that crash-landed in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
“We are verifying this information. Our embassies in Islamabad and Kabul are in close contact with the authorities in host countries with the purpose of taking comprehensive measures for the release of the Russian citizen,” the ministry said in a statement.
The kidnapped Russian citizen was identified as pilot S.K. Sevastyanov, born in 1956.
The ministry said Pakistan’s Mi-17 civil helicopter was heading for repair works to Russia when it crash-landed Thursday. Seven people, including Sevastyanov, were reportedly taken hostage by the Taliban militants.
