Ten Ukrainian civilians, including two priests and a representative of the Crimean Tatars, were released from Russian captivity after Vatican mediation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
These individuals arrived in Kyiv after being held for years, some since before the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude, saying, “I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the Holy See in bringing these people home.”
At his Sunday Angelus address yesterday, Pope Francis called for the release of all prisoners and thanked God for the priests’ liberation, saying, “May all the prisoners of this war soon return home.”
Pope Francis prayed further that we “think of all the people wounded or threatened by the fighting,” asking God to “free them and sustain them in the struggle for peace.”
According to Vatican News, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports that over 3,300 Ukrainians have been released since the invasion.
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