On Wednesday, Putin held a meeting with Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia Alexander Boroda in the Kremlin.
"You know that after the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, Russia is doing everything to help the people who are being held hostage. It is known that our Foreign Ministry is working with the political wing of Hamas, and in general there are certain results," Putin said, adding that it is necessary to continue work to help hostages.
When helping hostages in the Middle East, Moscow does not focus only on Russian citizens but also on foreigners — especially Holocaust survivors, Putin added.