After more than two years of uncertainty and anguish, Elizabeth Tsurkov—a Princeton University doctoral student and respected expert on Middle Eastern affairs—has finally been freed after her harrowing kidnapping in Iraq. The news, which broke on September 9, 2025, was met with joy, relief, and gratitude by her family, supporters, and officials from multiple countries who had worked tirelessly for her release.
Tsurkov’s ordeal began in March 2023, when she vanished in Baghdad while conducting field research for her doctorate at Princeton. As reported by the Associated Press, she entered Iraq using her Russian passport, determined to study sectarianism in the region. She disappeared shortly after visiting a coffee shop in Baghdad’s Karradah neighborhood—just days after undergoing spinal cord surgery, which left her particularly vulnerable. Her last public communication was a social media post on March 21, 2023, highlighting pro-Kurdistan protests in Syria.
For the next 900-plus days, her whereabouts and condition remained shrouded in mystery. The only direct proof of life came in November 2023, when a video purporting to show Tsurkov was broadcast on Iraqi television and circulated on pro-Iranian social media, according to multiple international outlets. Officials from several countries, including Iraq’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, later confirmed she was alive and being held by Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian-backed Shiite militia that is formally part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces but operates with significant autonomy.
The group, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization since 2009, never claimed responsibility for her abduction. Negotiations for her release were protracted and complex, involving the United States, Israel, the Red Cross, and foreign coordinators for prisoners of war and missing persons. According to Army Radio in Israel, the lack of direct demands toward Israel from her captors complicated the process, pushing negotiators to seek alternative forms of compensation and apply international pressure.
On September 9, 2025, President Donald Trump announced Tsurkov’s release on social media, declaring, “I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months. I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up.” Trump’s statement was echoed by Tsurkov’s family and officials in the U.S., Israel, and Iraq, all of whom confirmed her transfer to U.S. authorities at the embassy in Baghdad.
Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister and a U.S. citizen, had spearheaded a relentless campaign for her sibling’s freedom. She learned of the release while in Washington for meetings, receiving the news from Adam Boehler, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. In an emotional interview with the Associated Press, Emma recounted, “I heard her voice for the first time in 2 1/2 years and still couldn’t believe it, and I just melted on the floor. I heard her voice and she heard mine, and it was the most joyous experience of my life, and we both started sobbing and screaming.”
The family’s happiness was palpable. “My entire family is incredibly happy. We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days,” Emma wrote on social media, extending heartfelt thanks to President Trump, Special Envoy Adam Boehler, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and the nonprofit Global Reach, which advocated for Tsurkov’s safe return. She added, “If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be.”
Tsurkov’s mother, Irina, spoke with Israel’s Army Radio and expressed a hope that families of other hostages—particularly those held in Gaza—would soon receive similar good news. “I am so happy right now, to the point that I lack words in any language to describe my joy,” she said, expressing gratitude to President Trump and his team: “I know that both he himself and the people around him worked hard and made a lot of effort, and I just want to say thank you very much for what they did for her release.”
The circumstances of Tsurkov’s release were the result of painstaking negotiations, not a military operation. According to Iraqi militia officials who spoke to the Associated Press, talks centered around the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq—a move agreed upon between Washington and Baghdad in the previous year—and assurances that neither the U.S. nor Israel would launch strikes in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed the release on social media, describing it as the “culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months.” He emphasized, “We reaffirm, once again, that we will not tolerate any compromise in enforcing the law and upholding the authority of the state, nor will we allow anyone to undermine the reputation of Iraq and its people.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also welcomed the news, telling Tsurkov’s family, “the entire state of Israel is happy to see her return home.” He credited the efforts of a team led by Gal Hirsch, Israel’s Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons, for their role in the months-long campaign to secure her freedom.
The U.S. government’s approach to wrongful detentions has evolved in recent years. Just days before Tsurkov’s release, President Trump signed an executive order enabling the U.S. to designate nations as state sponsors of wrongful detention and threaten sanctions against those responsible for the unjust detention of American or third-country nationals. The order was seen as a direct response to the growing trend of hostage diplomacy, where individuals are taken captive for political leverage.
Tsurkov’s case was particularly complicated because, despite her extensive ties to the U.S. through her academic work and family, she is not an American citizen. This posed challenges in securing support from previous U.S. administrations, as her family noted. However, the Trump administration made her case a priority, dispatching a senior hostage negotiator to Iraq in February 2025 and working closely with allies, humanitarian organizations, and international partners to bring her home.
The ordeal has left deep scars. Tsurkov was reportedly tortured during her captivity, and her recovery—both physical and emotional—will likely be long and arduous. Yet, her release stands as a testament to the persistence of her family, the dedication of negotiators, and the power of international cooperation, even amid the tumultuous politics of the Middle East.
As Elizabeth Tsurkov prepares to reunite with her family—whether in Israel, the U.S., or another safe haven—the world is reminded of the human cost of geopolitical strife, but also of the hope that can emerge from even the darkest circumstances.
