Military commanders taken hostage in the Crimea released

Military commanders and other officers taken hostage when the Russian invading forces stormed Ukrainian military units were released on Wednesday evening. The whereabouts of others abducted in the Crimea remains unclear.

The men released are: Commander of Ukraine’s Navy, Ihor Voronchenko; the commander of the Sevastopol Tactical Aviation unit, Yuliy Mamchur;  commanders from Feodosia Dmitry Delyatytsky and his deputy, Rostyslav Lomtyev, Viacheslav Demyanenko and Alexander Filipov.

Journalist Yury Butusov reported on facebook that he had been able to speak by telephone with Yuliy Mamchur.  The latter said that he had been held in solitary confinement for the first few days. On the first day some Russian military men tried to persuade him to change sides.  Later psychological pressure was placed on him, he was prevented from sleeping etc.