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Captured US Air Force veteran is RELEASED from Russian custody in Ukraine: American is part of prisoner swap deal with Moscow and Kyiv to free hundreds of soldiers
- Suedi Murekezi was kidnapped in Kherson in June, according to his family.
- A Ukrainian official said Wednesday that he had been freed in a prisoner exchange.
- The White House confirmed that a US citizen was among the prisoners.
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A US Air Force veteran, whose family says he was captured by Russian separatists in Ukraine, has been freed in a prisoner exchange, a senior Kyiv official announced Wednesday.
Suedi Murekezi was reportedly abducted in June.
The White House confirmed that a US citizen was part of a prisoner exchange, but did not provide further details.
Earlier, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, announced that Murekezi was released along with 64 Ukrainian soldiers who had fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas.
He described Murekezi as an “American citizen who helped our people.”
US citizen Suedei Murekezi holds a Ukrainian flag after a prisoner of war exchange in an unknown location, Ukraine, in this photo released on December 14, 2022.
His brother said Murekezi was arrested in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, where he had lived for more than two years.
Sele Murekezi told The Guardian in July that she had spoken to her brother on the phone and told him that he had been falsely accused of joining pro-Ukrainian protests.
“They are using him as a pawn for their own propaganda purposes,” he said.
Kherson was captured early in the war. Residents protested against the occupation, but Russian troops helped the new local authority put down the demonstrations.
Murekezi’s family said he was born in Rwanda in 1985. They left after the 1994 genocide and settled in Minnesota.
He started visiting Ukraine on business about five years ago before moving there in 2020.
His friends said they believe he may have been attacked for driving an American Dodge Challenger with American license plates.
After eight years in the US Air Force, he began investing in cryptocurrency, among other interests.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, announced that Murekezi was released along with 64 Ukrainian soldiers, who had fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Russian-occupied Kherson, which was captured by invading troops at the start of the war. The protests were suppressed by Russian troops.
In a briefing with reporters, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, said: “I can confirm that an American citizen has been transferred … as part of a prisoner transfer between Russia and Ukraine today.”
“We certainly welcome that news, but for privacy reasons, I really can’t go into more detail about this individual.”
Asked about the prospects of negotiating an end to the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirby said violent fighting was continuing.
“Given what we are seeing in the air and on the ground in Ukraine, it is difficult to conclude that this war will be over by the end of the year,” he said.
‘So there is an active fight at the moment. We hope that will continue for some time to come.’