Oleg Sentsov plans to fight for release of other Ukrainian prisoners, including those held in Donbas - UNIAN

Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, recently freed from Russian captivity, has said he will fight for the release of other Ukrainian prisoners, including those held in Donbas, as UNIAN reported.

"Of course, my following words are about the people who remained there, our prisoners, prisoners in Donbas, who, I really hope, will also be released. We will do everything to this end, and for my part, I will do everything in my power," Sentsov said at a joint press conference with another freed political prisoner Oleksandr Kolchenko in Kyiv, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

"In addition to our prisoners, there are people in Russia, Russians, who are fighting for themselves, for their free Russia, for our Ukraine – these are also our true brothers. In particular, look at these recent arrests, these quick trials. Kostya Kotov – we haven't met in person, I haven't even heard about him just until today. I want us not to separate them either. They are also Kremlin prisoners," Sentsov added.

24 Ukrainian POW sailors captured by Russian special forces near the Kerch Strait in November 2018, and 11 political prisoners were returned by Russia to Ukraine as part of prisoner exchange on Sept 7. The political prisoners include Roman Sushchenko, Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Volodymyr Balukh, Stanislav Klykh, Mykola Karpyuk, Oleksiy Syzonovych, Pavlo Hryb, Edem Bekirov, Yevhen Panov, and Artur Panov. At the same time, 35 people were transferred to Russia. All of them were convicted or being tried on various charges.

UNIAN