The "Washington Post" estimates that the special treatment of Russian citizens kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas is a new expression of the ever-tightening system of ties between the Kremlin and the movement classified as terrorist.

The newspaper pointed out that this is a relationship in which Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to present himself as the leader of the new "multipolar world order", while the armed movement gains little legitimacy at a time when many countries define them as terrorists.

When a Hamas delegation visited Moscow in late October, Russian diplomats handed them a list of eight Russian-Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza that Russia wanted to release, and Hamas immediately announced that the list would receive special attention, state media reported.

Three Russian-Israeli hostages were released, including Roni Cariboy, 25, a sound engineer who worked at the music festival that Hamas attacked, on the first day of their attack, he became the first adult man to be released with an Israeli passport, even though most of the exchanges were women and children.

Moscow emphasized that the release of Kariboi and the subsequent release of two other Israelis with Russian citizenship, Elena Tropanova (53 years old) and her mother Irina Tati (73 years old), were carried out independently of the mediation of the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Telegram last Sunday, attributed the release of a Russian passport holder to "direct agreements between representatives of Russia and Hamas", which she indicated that Moscow intends to continue to uphold.

She added, "We are grateful to the leadership of the Hamas movement for its positive response to our urgent requests."

Since October 7, when Hamas carried out an attack inside Israel, Putin has carefully articulated his position, apparently mindful of Russia's growing dependence on Iran, Hamas' main sponsor, as a supplier of drones and missiles to Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russia initially expressed "concern" about the attack but did not condemn Hamas. Instead of emphasizing its condolences to Israel, Moscow pointed the finger at the United States and the West, accusing Washington of decades of failure to resolve the protracted conflict in the Middle East, and suggesting that Russia could be a (better) mediator," according to the Washington Post.

Although Hamas quickly became "designated out of disgust" in most parts of the world, after the October attack, Russia rolled out the red carpet for the movement's delegation.

Ruslan Salimanov, an independent Russian expert on Middle East affairs, told the newspaper: "The fact that Moscow invited them at the end of October is extremely important, because it is a way to show Hamas that they are not terrorists, apparently, and that they are invited. To hold official talks."