Kidnappers Release Top Executive of Russian Biggest Oil Company

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 26, 2002

Kidnappers Release Top Executive of Russian Biggest Oil Company

A top executive of Russia's biggest oil company Lukoil was released Wednesday after being held as hostage for nearly two weeks, Moscow regional prosecutor Alexander Mitusov said.

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A top executive of Russia's biggest oil company Lukoil was released Wednesday after being held as hostage for nearly two weeks, Moscow regional prosecutor Alexander Mitusov said.

Sergei Kukura, Lukoil's chief financial official, was at home and no ransom was paid for his release, said the prosecutor.

Both the Interior Ministry and Lukoil confirmed the release of Kukura, who was kidnapped by masked gunmen on Sept. 12 and was demanded a ransom of 6 million US dollars.

Lukoil offered a reward of 30 million rubles (948,000 dollars) for information leading to Kukura's release, and Russian newspapers reported last week that the company had made contact with his kidnappers.

The Interfax quoted a source in the Lukoil that the company would pay for information leading to Kukura's release but would not pay the ransom.

Lukoil press secretary Dmitry Dolgov told the ORT channel that Kukura did not look too bad. "But you can imagine what a man can feel after spending nearly two weeks in rather tough conditions," he added.

Moscow deputy police chief Gennady Deineko also said Kukura wasin "normal condition" after his release. "He has not been on any psychotropic drugs."

He said the search for the kidnappers was still going on and the police did not pay any ransom for Kukura's release.

Lukoil accounts for more than 20 percent of Russia's oil exports.

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