Russia releases Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko
Nadia Savchenko, the Ukrainian helicopter pilot jailed in Russia, has been released in a prisoner swap, raising hopes of resolving the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
After pledging on her return to Kiev airport aboard the Ukrainian presidential plane to work to secure the release of other Ukrainians still in Russian custody, Ms Savchenko was whisked into the city for a hero’s welcome.
Ms Savchenko said she was captured by Russia-backed separatists inside Ukraine who spirited her over the frontier. Her lawyers said mobile phone data and video footage showed she was nowhere near the attack, having been captured an hour before it happened.
She was sentenced to 22 years in jail by a Moscow court in March this year, despite international pleas to release her. Her hunger strikes in jail saw her body weight fall dramatically and led more than once to fears for her life.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/889df226-227a-11e6-aa98-db1e01fabc0c.html#axzz49h6HzKwU
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