10 Ukrainian civilians brought back from Russian captivity, including deputy chairman of Majlis of Crimean Tatar people

Ukrainian authorities managed to bring back 10 civilians from Russian captivity on 28 June. Among them is Nariman Dzhelyal, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, who was captured in Crimea in 2021. [Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is the single highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars in the period between sessions of the Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People - ed.] Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in social media

Quote: "We managed to bring back 10 more of our people from Russian captivity. Despite all the difficulties.

Nariman Dzhelyal, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, was captured in Crimea in 2021. Olena Pekh and Valerii Matiushenko are civilians who have been in captivity since 2017-2018.

Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytskyi are priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, captured in Berdiansk for their resistance to the occupiers. Five other civilians were captured in Belarus and deprived of their liberty: Mykola Shvets, Nataliia Zakharenko, Pavlo Kupriienko, Liudmyla Honcharenko and Kateryna Briukhanova. They have all been released and are now back home in Ukraine."

Background:

On 23 August 2021, on the Day of the Ukrainian Flag, a gas pipeline was damaged in the village of Perevalne that lies between Simferopol and Yalta (Crimea). A criminal case was opened in Russia under Article 281.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (sabotage), which provides for imprisonment for a term of 10 to 15 years.
On 3-4 September, five Crimean Tatars were detained in Crimea: Nariman Dzhelyal, Aziz Akhtemov, Asan Akhtemov, Shevket Useinov and Eldar Odamanov. Nariman Dzhelial was kept handcuffed and with a bag over his head for the whole day.
In October it was reported that Dzhelyal was being transferred to Minusinsk in Eastern Siberia.

Cousins Asan and Aziz Akhtemov were also taken from Crimea.
These three Crimeans were sentenced by the Russians last year on falsified terrorism charges - Dzhelial to 17 years, Asan Akhtemov to 15 years, and Aziz Akhtemov to 13 years in prison.

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