MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/: Russian blogger Ilya Varlamov has informed that all Russians detained in South Sudan’s Juba have been freed and are waiting for their flight to return home.
"Everyone is freed," he wrote on Telegram without adding any details. "All that is left now is to leave this fantastic place."
Four people, including Varlamov and activist Pyotr Verzilov, were detained on January 13 in South Sudan’s Kapoeta on suspicion of possessing a drone for filming. By the evening of the same day, all Russians had been released without facing any charges and arrived in Juba on Thursday morning.
On Thursday, a Russian embassy staffer in Uganda told TASS that Varlamov and Verzilov were waiting for deportation in a local hotel, a few other members of the group were earlier transported to a closed military camp for a check. The South Sudanese authorities have not provided official comments regarding their actions. The Russian Foreign Ministry currently does not have diplomatic missions in South Sudan; the diplomatic mission in Uganda is charged with conducting bilateral relations.
The Russian embassy in Uganda is keeping in permanent touch with the group of Russians. "We are in contact, work is underway so that the Russians can leave home from Juba," the Russian diplomat noted. It is expected that the group will leave the capital of South Sudan at around 16:00 Moscow time via Egypt.
