Yemeni Houthis release the crew of a ship seized in 2023: among them are citizens of Ukraine

The Yemeni Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader merchant ship, which was seized in the Red Sea in November 2023, at the beginning of their attacks on shipping in response to the war between Israel and the Hamas group. Among them were sailors from five countries, including Ukraine.

This was reported on Wednesday, January 22, by the AP news agency. The release of 25 sailors took place with the mediation of Oman.

"Oman did not immediately recognize the release, although a Royal Omani Air Force plane flew to Yemen on Wednesday and took off again about an hour after the Houthis' statement. The Houthis also said that Hamas had separately requested the release of the ship's 25-person crew, including sailors from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico," the newspaper writes.

The Houthis said in a statement that the move was part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, called the crew's release "heartwarming news that will end the detention and separation they and their families have endured for more than a year."

"This is a step in the right direction, and I urge that these positive steps continue on all fronts, including ending the naval attacks," he added.

The Houthi rebels had earlier said they had seized the Galaxy Leader because of its ties to Israel. As noted, the Bahamas-flagged vessel is allegedly linked to Israeli billionaire Avraham "Rami" Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.

"On Monday, the Houthis made it clear that they would now limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to Israeli-linked vessels after the ceasefire in Gaza, but warned that larger-scale attacks could resume if necessary. However, this is not likely to be enough to encourage global companies to return to the route, which is crucial for the supply of goods and energy between Asia and Europe. Their attacks have halved traffic through the region, which has seriously reduced the income of Egypt, which operates the Suez Canal, connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean," the article says.

As OBOZ.UA reported, earlier journalists found out that the Russians could transmit satellite images to the Yemeni Houthis to strike merchant ships in the Red Sea. They needed it to guide missiles and drones to the ships.

The data from Russian satellites could be transmitted to the Houthis through the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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