She wanted to visit her sick father in Crimea, but ended up in the court of the occupiers: Leniye Umerova was returned from Russian captivity. Photo

49 citizens have been returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity, including Crimean Tatar Leniye Umerova, who has been illegally detained in Russia since December 2022. She was taken hostage when she wanted to return to occupied Crimea to care for her sick father.

This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram. This exchange was especially significant because 23 women were returned, which is the largest number of Ukrainian women released in recent times.

"Another return of our people, which we always expect and work for. These are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, as well as our civilians. In particular,  Leniye Umerova, a girl who was taken hostage by the Russians when she came to take care of her sick father. We also managed to free some more Azovstal defenders. The Hero of Ukraine, military medic Viktor Ivchuk is also at home," the President said.

A video of  Leniye immediately after her return to Ukrainian soil was posted online, where she cannot hold back her tears of happiness.

"I'm so excited, I'm so happy, I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this day, how happy I am to see the Ukrainian flag," said Leniye.

In December 2022, Leniye Umerova, who lived in Kyiv, tried to return to the occupied Crimea to take care of her sick father. After crossing the border between Georgia and Russia, she was detained and accused of violating the rules of staying in the restricted zone.

On December 4, a court in North Ossetia found her guilty of "violating the state border regime" and fined her 2,000 rubles. She was held in the Center for the Temporary Detention of Foreign Citizens near Vladikavkaz.

On the night of March 14, she was released but was immediately detained by security forces, and later the police drew up a report for "disobedience." The court ordered 15 days of arrest, which was repeatedly extended.

Subsequently, a Moscow court arrested Leniye Umerova on charges of espionage, which carries up to 20 years in prison.

In August 2024, the court extended her arrest until November 4. Her brother Aziz said that the investigator in the case had changed, and the materials were classified.

In August 2023, it became known that Leniye had written a letter to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On August 23, at the Crimean Platform summit, Zelenskyy told her story and called on the international community to show solidarity.

Earlier it was reported that on Friday, September 13, the 56th exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the terrorist country Russia took place. As a result, 49 Ukrainians returned to their homeland. In total, 3569 Ukrainians have been returned home from Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

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