Advertisement

Ukrainian Pilot Freed From Prison in Russia

Former Ukrainian Army pilot Nadiya Savchenko returned to Kyiv on Wednesday, May 25, after she was released from prison in Russia, where she’d been held for nearly two years. Earlier this year, Savchenko was found guilty of involvement in the death of two Russian journalists in 2014 during fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.

She was captured by the separatists in June 2014 and handed over to the Russians, who sentenced her to 22 years in prison. Savchenko, who was elected to the Ukrainian parliament and resigned from the armed forces during her imprisonment, denied involvement in the journalists’ deaths.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned Savchenko, and she was returned to Ukraine in exchange for two Russians who were captured while fighting with the separatists in eastern Ukraine. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty