"They were released yesterday after the government in Juba learned about the arrest asked the security organs to release them, so they were released and put in a hotel, and today they will be in Juba. I think it was a small misunderstanding," the diplomat said.
The ambassador also mentioned that Varlamov, Verzilov and others who were detained never processed their travel documents at the South Sudanese embassy in Moscow and he does not know where they obtained visas.
The diplomat urged all Russian tourists wishing to travel to South Sudan to apply for visas at the embassy.
Several hours after Varlamov's announcement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the travellers had been released. The released Russian travellers plan to leave South Sudan for Moscow on Friday.