CHISINAU, February 20. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Tuesday that Moldovan pilots, freed from a three-year-long captivity in Afghanistan with Russia’s assistance, will leave Moscow once they are ready.
"The pilots will return home when they see fit. They decided that they want to undergo treatment there [in Moscow]. They are free to return at any moment," Dodon said during an online question-and-answer session.
He added that the pilots have already met with their relatives and representatives of the Moldovan government, which earlier demanded their immediate return to Chisinau.
A Mi-17 helicopter belonging to Valan International Cargo Charter, which had been contracted by the US government, came under fire in Afghanistan’s Faryab province controlled by the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) on November 24, 2015. After the crew had sent a distress signal, the helicopter made an emergency landing. There were 21 people aboard, including 18 passengers and three crewmembers. Afghan security officers reached the crash site to find four dead bodies, including a crew member. The rest were captured by Taliban militants. A video with the hostages was posted on the Internet the following day.
On February 11, Dodon announced that an effort to return them has finally succeeded. He thanked the Russian government and officials involved in the rescue operation. The pilots themselves thanked Russia and the Moldovan president.
Later, a video footage was made public, showing the pilots meeting with Moldovan officials at a Moscow hospital. The pilots said they were not ready to return to Chisinau yet and were willing to continue their medical treatment in Moscow. One of them said that they had lost all hope of the Moldovan government’s help during the years they had spent in captivity.
However, the opposition-led Moldovan government lodged complaints with several international organizations on Monday, saying that its representatives have been unable to meet with the pilots.