Dec 14, 2022 - World

U.S. Air Force veteran freed in Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap

Jacob Knutson

U.S. and Ukrainian flags during a rally in support of Ukraine in St. Paul, Minnesota, in March 2022. — U.S. and Ukraine flags during a rally in support of Ukraine in St. Paul, Minnesota, in March 2022. Photo: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

Suedi Murekezi, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was freed from Russian-controlled territory in a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Murekezi's relatives told the Washington Post he was arrested in June by pro-Russian authorities in the formerly occupied city of Kherson after being wrongly accused of participating in pro-Ukrainian protests.

Kirby, on a conference call with reporters Wednesday, confirmed Murekezi's release and said: “We welcome the news."

Details: Murekezi is from Minnesota but has lived in Ukraine since 2018.

He was freed along with 64 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who fought in Donetsk and Luhansk, according to Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff.
Ukraine also received four bodies of soldiers killed in action, Yermak said.

What they're saying: In an interview with ABC News published Wednesday, Murekezi said he spent weeks in a basement after he was initially arrested, where he said he was beaten and tortured with electric shocks.

Murekezi said he was then transferred to a prison in Donetsk city, where he spent three months before being released, though he was without his U.S. passport and effectively trapped.

The big picture: Murekezi's release comes less than a week after WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Murekezi had been one of at least three U.S. veterans arrested or captured by Russia or Russian-backed authorities during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Alexander John-Robert Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, two other former service members, were captured while fighting alongside Ukrainians in Kharkiv Oblast in June but were freed through a prisoner exchange in September.
At least two Americans have been killed while fighting in Ukraine, though the exact number is currently unknown.

Go deeper: Ex-Trump official defends Biden administration's Griner swap with Russia

Add Axios on Google

U.S. Air Force veteran freed in Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap

What to read next