Father of rights defender Butkevych says son released from Russian captivity

The father of human rights defender, journalist and soldier Maksym Butkevych, who had been captured by Russia and sentenced to 13 years in prison, said his son returned to Ukraine.

This was reported by the ZMINA Human Rights Center, Ukrinform saw.

As per Oleksandr Butkevych, he received a call from the POW Release Coordination Headquarters, neing informed that his son had been exchanged and that he already crossed into Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, human rights defender, journalist, co-founder and member of Hromadske Radio NGO Maksym Butkevych joined the Army ranks at the outset of the full-scale invasion by Russia. Late June 2022, he was captured by the Russian forces.

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Butkevych was accused of "violent treatment of the civilian population", "attempted murder of two persons" and "deliberate damage to private property".

In March 2023, a Russian court in the so-called "LPR" sentenced Butkevych to 13 years in prison, and on August 22, an appeals court in Moscow upheld the sentence.

Photo: Hromadske Radio