Human rights defender Butkevich, who was released from captivity, said that it came as a surprise to him

Human rights defender, journalist and military officer Maksim Butkevich was released from Russian captivity. He said that the news about the exchange was a surprise for him - he learnt about it accidentally during the stage. Butkevich told about how it happened in a commentary to hromadske.

He said that yesterday morning after the morning check he was informed that the stage in half an hour. But they did not tell where and what things to take with them.

We learnt about the exchange already by chance on the way. So it's a double surprise," Butkevich said.

At the same time, he admitted that he was looking forward to returning home.

The human rights defender added that many prisoners of war are waiting for the opportunity to return to Ukraine, as well as information about the exchange.

I went with another colleague of mine from the colony, where there are more than four dozen convicted prisoners of war on trumped-up cases - it is very important for them that we left, it is important that they learnt about it. Because we are the first exchanged convicted prisoners of war from this Luhansk colony. I think it will be easier for them when they know that it's possible and that it's happening," Butkevich said.

Butkevich also thanked everyone who wrote him letters of support and sent him greetings.

I was amazed at the level of support I received," he concluded.

It is known that in March 2023, a "court" in the occupied territories of Luhansk Region "sentenced" Maksym Butkevich to 13 years in a strict regime colony for allegedly shelling the entrance of a residential building in Severodonetsk and injuring two civilians. Russia's investigative committee said Butkevich had allegedly pleaded guilty.

Since the end of August 2023, neither his lawyer nor his parents knew anything about Butkevich's place of stay. Subsequently, it became known that he was in the colony in Krasny Luch in the Russian-occupied territory of Luhansk Region.

Maksym Butkevich is a journalist and human rights activist who was an activist in the campaign for the release from Russia of Ukrainian political prisoners, in particular Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko. Butkevich is a co-founder of Gromadske Radio, founder of the ZMINA human rights centre, and was a board member of the Ukrainian centre of Amnesty International. He has worked on the STB and 1+1 channels.

With the beginning of the full-scale war Maksym Butkevich suspended his journalistic, human rights and volunteer activities and joined the AFU. Butkevych had been volunteering since 2014 - he helped displaced people and resettled women, as well as worked on refugee protection and anti-discrimination issues.