More casual fling than committed friends: Russia and Hamas

With Hamas having finally decided to disarm in Gaza, it can now be revealed why Russia stepped back from its support for the Palestinian group, as new details emerge about the Kremlin’s thinking. Speaking anonymously, diplomatic sources say several interrelated factors contributed to Moscow’s waning interest, including its conclusion that pressure from Israel and the US on Iran, combined with Israeli military operations in Gaza, had so weakened and fragmented Hamas that it was no longer worth betting on.

Due to an internal scandal, Mikhail Bogdanov, one of Russia’s most authoritative Arabists, was dismissed from his position as deputy minister of foreign affairs and special presidential envoy for the Middle East on 9 July 2025. During his tenure, Moscow maintained contact with Hamas, including over the release of Russian hostages held in Gaza, and consulted the group ahead of a high-level conference on Palestine at the United Nations in New York in September 2025.

According to those close to events, Russia’s contacts with Hamas resumed only in June of this year, on the initiative of Bogdanov’s replacement, Georgy Borisenko. On 10 June 2026, Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, arrived in Moscow at the invitation of the foreign ministry. Following the talks, Marzouk answered questions from Russian media, stating that Hamas had asked Moscow to again initiate a meeting of key Palestinian factions to “facilitate reconciliation”. According to a source at the foreign ministry, the initiative in fact came from Moscow.

Dirty tricks?

Anonymous ‘briefings’ by ‘sources’ have appeared on Telegram in recent weeks that have left diplomats confused. One ‘leak’ said ministry officials were angered by Abu Marzouk, who had sought a meeting for eight months offering new information, only to arrive with none. Another claim was that he asked Moscow to act as a ‘guarantor’ of Hamas during the disarmament period. Yet those who spoke anonymously to Al Majalla said this description bore little resemblance to reality.

“Of course, there are those in the ministry who propose to completely cut off contact with Hamas due to the nature of the movement, but this is more likely a targeted information leak in the interests of Israel, since it is obvious that this post has not gone unnoticed by the Palestinian side,” they explained.