Today, ten more of our people were returned from Russian captivity.

This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

According to the head of state, this was possible thanks to the efforts of the Vatican.

He also named those who were released:

“Nariman Dzhelal, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, who was captured in Crimea in 2021. Olena Pekh and Valerii Matiushenko are civilians who have been in captivity since 2017-2018. Bohdan Geleta and Ivan Levytskyi are priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, captured in Berdiansk for resisting the occupiers. Five other civilians who were captured in Belarus and deprived of their liberty: Mykola Shvets, Nataliia Zakharenko, Pavlo Kuprienko, Liudmila Honcharenko, and Kateryna Briukhanova,” the president said.

No further information was provided.

“I am grateful to everyone who helped! I am grateful to our team that is engaged in the release of prisoners. I would also like to note the efforts of the Vatican to bring these people home.”

According to Euroradio, five Ukrainians arrested in Belarus have been released from captivity: Mykola Shvets, Nataliia Zakharanka, Pavlo Kuprienko, Liudmyla Honcharenko, and Kateryna Briukhanova.

Mykola Shvets was accused by pro-Russian propaganda of damaging a Russian A-50 AEW&C aircraft at Machulyschi airport.

Regarding the details of the damage to the Russian A-50, BYPOL stated that Belarusian partisans had been conducting aerial reconnaissance at the Machulishchi military airfield for two weeks using civilian drones.

As a reminder, on February 26, 2023, there were reports of explosions at the Machulishchi airfield.

Later, the Belarusian initiative BYPOL claimed that guerrillas had used drones to damage equipment at the airport. The front and center of the plane was reportedly damaged.