Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine He wrote on Twitter Murekasi was freed on Wednesday along with 64 other Ukrainian prisoners of war who were fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He described Murekasi as “an American citizen who helped our people.” The bodies of four other Ukrainians were also returned, Yermak added.
Sele Murekezi, speaking to his brother in July, noted that he was being held in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, along with two other Americans.
Born in Rwanda, Suedi Murekezi came to the U.S. as a teenager and spent eight years in the Air Force, his brother said. He later moved to Ukraine and was in Kherson – the first major city to fall to Russian forces following the February 24 invasion, which was recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
In September, several foreigners, including two American soldiers, five Britons and a Moroccan national, One of the 300 prisoners released by Russia In a prisoner exchange. Three of the foreign prisoners were previously sentenced to death.
A total of 1,456 prisoners were released from Russian captivity or Russian-controlled territory. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war, told The Post on Wednesday.
As the pace of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine has accelerated in recent weeks, reports have emerged of abuses faced by prisoners in Russian captivity.
A POW told The Post He was beaten so badly that his ribs were broken and his kidneys badly injured.
News of the latest prisoner transfer comes days later WNBA star Brittney Griner Freed by Moscow in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bode. The United States is trying to free another American citizen. Paul WhelanDetained in Russia for four years and sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, Washington denounced him as a fake.
Marisa Iatti and Annabelle Timsit contributed to this report.
