Ukrainian RFE/RL Journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko Released from Custody in Occupied Crimea
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) welcomes Vladyslav’s release and thanks the U.S. and Ukrainian governments for efforts to bring him home.
(WASHINGTON ) — Ukrainian Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko has been released from Russian custody in occupied Crimea.
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said:
“For more than four years, Vlad was arbitrarily punished for a crime he did not commit. He paid too high of a price for reporting the truth about what was taking place inside Russia-occupied Crimea. For that, he was tortured, physically and psychologically. While we celebrate his joyous reunion with his wife Kateryna, and their young daughter Stefania, we cannot overlook this family’s pain at the hands of Russian authorities.
RFE/RL extends its deepest gratitude to the U.S. and Ukrainian governments for working with us to ensure that Vlad’s unjust detention was not prolonged. We also thank the global press freedom community for their tireless advocacy on behalf of RFE/RL’s dedicated journalists.”
This follows the releases of former RFE/RL journalist Ihar Karnei on June 21 and RFE/RL journalist Andrei Kuznechyk in February from unjust detention in Belarus thanks to the significant efforts of the Trump administration.
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About RFE/RL
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach a weekly audience of more than 47 million people in 23 countries.