Chadian ambassador to Russia, Adam Bechir, on Tuesday said Russians detained in Chad, including sociologist Shugaley, will soon be released and handed over to Russian authorities.

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow was taking all necessary measures to ensure the release of three Russian and one Belarusian citizens detained in Chad on September 19.

“I was told that an instruction had been issued, and they will be released and handed over to the Russian authorities,” the ambassador said.

The ambassador did not provide an exact date for when this would happen or if they had been charged with anything.

“In N’Djamena, the authorities of the Republic of Chad detained three Russian citizens, Shugaley M.A., Soueifan S. Hassan Ali, Tsarev E.I. and a citizen of Belarus Denisevich A.A.,” the Chadian ministry said in a statement on its website.

The Ministry said necessary steps for the speedy release of all detainees have also been taken, and to this end, the Russian side maintains close contact with the authorities in N’Djamena and the Chadian ambassador in Moscow.

The detention of Shugaley and Soueifan in Chad became known a day after their arrest. It was reported that they had been held at the airport in N’Djamena since September 19.

The Russian embassy in the country later clarified to Izvestia that the diplomatic mission had not received any official information on the situation from the local authorities. 

(Sputnik/NAN)