Ten civilians Ukrainians held prisoner for years by Russia They arrived at Kyiv during the night of this Saturday after the mediation of the Vaticanconfirmed the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskywho on Friday had announced his release.
Some had been captured years before the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Pope Francis said the Vatican has been involved in previous prisoner exchanges during the war Ukraine.
Among those released was Nariman Dzhelyaldeputy head of Mejlisa representative body of the Tatars of Crimea who was transferred to Kyiv after what Russia took over the peninsula in 2014. He was removed from Crimeawhere he lived despite the annexation, a year before the war.
The head of the Mejlis, Refat Chubarovand the Tatar leader of Crimea, Mustafa Dzhemilevthey embraced him after almost three years of captivity.
However, Dzhelyal said that many Ukrainians They remain in captivity: “We cannot leave them there because the conditions, both psychologically and physically, are very terrifying.”
Former prisoners, wrapped in blue and yellow flagsreunited with their families in Kyiv and they called those who could not be there. For some, the separation had lasted many years.
“I really want to hug you. “I’ll be with you soon, mommy,” he said. Isabella Pekhdaughter of the liberated art historian Olena Pekhvia video call. “I am so sorry I couldn’t meet you.” For almost six years, Isabella Pekh He spoke at international conferences and asked ambassadors for help in freeing his mother, who was detained in the occupied part of the region. Donetsk.
“It was six years of hell that words cannot describe. But I knew that I had my country, I had people who loved me, I had my daughter,” he said. Olena Pekh.
Among those released are two Greek-Catholic priests ukrainians. One of them, Bohdan Heletawas arrested in 2022 in his church in the occupied city of Berdianskin the southeastern region of Zaporizhia.
“There are many of our men and women there,” he said. Heleta On those still in prison: “They need help, concrete help. They are waiting for it.”
He Pope Francisco In a speech on Saturday he called for the release of all prisoners of war and thanked God for the release of the two priests.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped. I thank our team working to free the prisoners. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the Holy See to bring these people home,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
According to him Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War of Ukraine3,310 Ukrainians have already been released from Russian captivity since the full-scale invasion of RussiaMany thousands of people, both civilians and military personnel, remain imprisoned.
On Friday, during a joint press conference with her Slovenian counterpart, Natasha Pirc MusarZelensky added that his administration is working on a comprehensive plan to “end the war” that will be ready this year and that he hopes to obtain the support of the majority of countries in the world.
“It is very important for us to present a plan to end the war that is supported by the majority in the world,” Zelensky said, quoted by the Ukrainian news agency, Ukrinform.
The plan will address all points of the so-called Ukrainian Peace Formula, which sets out ten demands for ending the war, including the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory, according to the Ukrainian head of state.
Zelensky said Ukraine will continue to fight on the battlefield while trying to exert diplomatic pressure on Russia with this plan to achieve a fair peace.
“They are two parallel things, being strong on the battlefield and developing a clear and detailed plan that will be ready this year,” he declared.
(With information from AP and EFE)
