Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners were freed in an organized swap on Wednesday.
Suedi Murekezi, an American Air Force veteran, spent months in Russian-controlled territory after being arrested. The Washington Post reported this week that Murekezi's family said he had been working in the technology sector in the southern Kherson region before he was arrested.
Sele Murekezi told The Post that his brother came to the US when he was a teenager and served in the Air Force for eight years before moving to Ukranian.
Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russian forces less than a week after the war started, and he chose not to leave the country. The region has been regained by Ukrainian forces.
The Russians accused Murekezi of being a member of the CIA and taking part in pro-Ukrainian demonstrations. He said the Russians kept him in a basement for weeks in the south.
He said he was moved closer to the Russian border where he was held for three months. The Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been controlled by the Russians for the past eight years.
Two Americans who volunteered to fight for Ukraine were among the prisoners that Murekezi met there. In a prisoner swap in September, two men were released and described horrendous conditions they had been held in.
Murekezi told ABC that he was beaten by his abductors. He told the outlet that he was stuck in the region because he didn't have access to his US passport.
Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions via a sham referendum in September.
He told ABC that he was looking forward to a peanut butter sandwich when he came back.
According to the Post, Murekezi's brother believes his brother will come back to the US. He used to live in Minnesota.
64 Ukrainian soldiers were included in the prisoner exchange, as well as the bodies of four soldiers who were killed in action, according to the head of the Ukrainian presidency.
—Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) December 14, 2022
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