Russians detained for reading the Bible at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia mosque are now back in Russia

Two Russian citizens detained at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia for reading the Bible flew home to Russia on the evening of July 17, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported, citing the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul. The diplomatic mission confirmed that the Filonovs had departed for Moscow on a scheduled flight at 7:50 p.m. local time.