Separated by war: Ukrainian soldier reunited with daughter after release from Russian captivity
Source: Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliamentary) Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram
Details: The soldier was captured more than three years ago, at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His 15-year-old daughter, Sofiia, was taken to Russia by her mother, who later returned with the child to temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory.
The girl's grandmother, who had raised her from birth, appealed to Lubinets to secure her liberation.
"All this time, the child lived in unbearable conditions," Lubinets said. "The struggle to bring her back was long and challenging."
The grandmother gained custody of Sofiia, and in March 2025, the girl came back to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Sofia's father was freed from captivity on the first day of the major prisoner swap. For the first time in years, he heard the voices of his mother and daughter.
Quote from Lubinets: "This is one of many stories of families torn apart by war. But these moments give us the strength to believe and fight on.
We work to ensure every child and adult can come back to a free Ukraine and be reunited."
Background: Ukrainska Pravda shared emotional stories of soldiers brought back on the first day of the large-scale POW exchange.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
6 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Ukraine Claims Drone Attacks on Two Russian Oil Refineries
Ukraine's military claimed strikes on two oil refineries and other infrastructure in Russia in what it said was a response to recent deadly attacks by Kremlin forces on Ukrainian cities. The Novokuibyshevsk plant in the Samara region and the Ryazan refinery were hit, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a Saturday Facebook post. Ukrainian drones also struck a fuel depot in Russia's Voronezh region and an electronics facility in Penza, it said. All the targets were part of Russia's war apparatus, the military said.
Washington Post
6 hours ago
- Washington Post
3 people die in overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight into Saturday killed three people, Russian officials said Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Colombia: Ex-President Uribe gets 12 years' house arrest
Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a case related to the country's prolonged civil war. The conservative politician was found guilty this week of paying jailed paramilitaries to retract testimony which connects Uribe to right-wing militia groups. In the decades since the outbreak of Colombia's civil war in the 1960s, paramilitary groups were responsible for mass killings, forced disappearances, and other atrocities. The conviction marks the first time a Colombian head of state has been found guilty in a criminal trial. What did the court rule? While prosecutors had demanded a 12-year prison term, Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, fined $578,000 (€499,000) and barred from public office for more than eight years. The judge ordered Uribe to begin serving his sentence immediately at his rural estate in Rionegro, in northwestern Antioquia province. The ex-president's lawyers said Uribe would appeal the verdict. However, the court rejected Uribe's request to remain free while appealing the verdict, with the judge saying the former president might flee the country to avoid punishment. The 73-year-old politician has denied any wrongdoing. Following the Friday hearing, Uribe said "politics prevailed over the law in sentencing." What do we know about the case against Uribe? During a nearly 6-month trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Uribe and his brother had helped found the Bloque Metro paramilitary group in the 1990s. At the time, Uribe was the governor of Antioquia, a key battleground in the civil war. One former paramilitary, who worked on the Uribe family ranch, told the court he was offered bribes and legal favors to retract his testimony. Another testified that Uribe's lawyer offered him money to speak favorably about Uribe. The court found that the ex-president had been trying to discredit a rival who had exposed Uribe's alleged paramilitary ties and had been sued by the then-president for libel. The libel case was dismissed in 2018 and a probe into Uribe's alleged conduct began. Uribe's supporters dismiss the case as a vendetta by leftwing rivals to tarnish his legacy as Colombia's most effective anti-guerrilla leader. This sentiment seems to be echoed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the trial was a "weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges." Analysts have said there could be cuts to US aid to Colombia in response. In turn, human rights groups hailed the conviction as a landmark moment for accountability in Colombia's long history of impunity. What was Colombia's civil war? The conflict began in 1964 when leftist guerrilla groups like FARC took up arms, demanding land reform and social justice. Fueled by funding from the illegal drug trade, the war involved guerrilla fighters, right-wing paramilitary groups, and government forces, each committing widespread violence and human rights abuses. Under Uribe's rule, the conflict intensified. His hardline tactics against leftist guerrillas led to mass killings, paramilitary abuse, and forced disappearances. During the conflict, an estimated 220,000 people died and millions more were displaced. A truth commission found that over 6,400 civilians were falsely labeled as guerrillas and executed by the military during Uribe's administration — a scandal known as the "false positives." A 2016 peace deal between the government and FARC ended the war officially, transforming the rebels into a political party. However, violence in Colombia persists to this day, driven by fragmented armed groups, drug trafficking, and ongoing struggles over land and power in rural areas. Edited by: Darko Janjevic
