According to the report, a senior Taliban official said that a former Russian ambassador to Afghanistan has been in contact with the religious movement over the release of Pavel Petrenko, a Russian who was among 10 foreign civilians captured after their cargo helicopter made an emergency landing in eastern Afghanistan in April.
Eight Turks, a Kyrgyz and their Afghan translator also were seized.
The AP also cited Petrenko's wife as saying that she "had been told" the negotiations for her husband's release were ongoing. The agency did not specify who allegedly spoke to the woman.
Taliban fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
