Vatican aids release of two Ukrainian priests from captivity: Zelenskyy

"In recent days, we have accomplished a task that seemed nearly impossible to many. We have returned 90 of our soldiers and ten civilians from Russian captivity. Among them are Christian priests - Bohdan Helety and Ivan Levytskyi. They are now here with us. I would very much like us all to welcome them," said the head of state.

The President noted that the two priests served in the parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region. They were captured by occupiers on November 16, 2022, and held in captivity since then.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the release of the clergy was possible thanks to the assistance of the Vatican.

"Thanks to the efforts of our team and the mediation of the Vatican, for which I am especially grateful, we managed to bring them back to freedom. We believed it would happen. We worked towards this goal. And just as we did, we must not give up and continue to fight to bring home all our people still in Russian captivity, all Ukrainian children who were kidnapped in the occupied territory and forcibly taken to Russia," the President stressed.

Large-scale exchange

On Friday, June 28, it became known that Ukraine has liberated 10 civilians from Russian captivity. Among them are Nariman Dzhelyal, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Olena Pekh, and Valeriy Matiushenko, who were held captive from 2017-2018, two priests from Berdiansk, and five other civilians abducted on the territory of Belarus.

The release of civilians was the second part of a large-scale prisoner exchange. During the first phase of the operation on June 25, Ukraine freed 90 Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.