Captured U.S. Air Force vet is FREED from Russian custody in Ukraine: American is part of prisoner swap deal with Moscow and Kyiv to let hundreds of soldiers go free
- Suedi Murekezi was snatched in Kherson in June, according to his family
- A Ukrainian official said Wednesday he had been released in a prisoner swap
- The White House confirmed that a U.S. citizen was among the prisoners
A U.S. Air Force veteran, whose family say he was captured by Russian separatists in Ukraine, has been released in a prisoner swap, a senior Kyiv official announced on Wednesday.
Suedi Murekezi was reportedly snatched in June.
The White House confirmed that an American citizen was part of a prisoner exchange but offered no further details.
Earlier Andriy Yermak, the 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 a ‘U.S. citizen who helped our people.’
U.S. citizen Suedi Murekezi holds a Ukrainian flag after a prisoners-of-war swap at an an unknown location, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 14, 2022
His brother said Murekezi was arrested in Kherson, southern Ukraine, where he had been living for more than two years.
Sele Murekezi told The Guardian in July that he had spoken to his brother by telephone, and he had said 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 quell 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 for business about five years ago before moving there in 2020.
Friends said they believe he may have been targeted for driving an American Dodge Challenger with U.S. plates.
After eight years in the U.S. Air Force, he had started investing in cryptocurrencies, among other interests.
Andriy Yermak, the 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
Protesters took to the streets of Russia-occupied Kherson, which was captured by invading troops at the start of the war. The protests were stamped out by Russian troops
On a briefing call with reporters, John Kirby, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator, said: ‘I can confirm that a US national has been transferred … as part of a transfer between prisoners between Russia and Ukraine today.
‘We certainly welcome that news, but for privacy reasons, I really can’t go into any more detail about this individual.’
Asked about prospects for negotiating an end to the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kirby said violent fighting continued.
‘Just given what we’re seeing in the air and on the ground in Ukraine, it’s difficult to conclude that this war will be over by year’s end,’ he said.
‘So there is active fighting going on right now. We would expect that that will continue for some time going forward.’
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