You're reading: Kochneva already at Ukraine’s Embassy in Damascus

The Foreign Ministry of Syria has handed Ukrainian journalist Anhar Kochneva, who was held hostage by Syrian rebels, to the Ukrainian Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, March 12.

“The Ukrainian woman’s health is satisfactory. Her life is not in danger,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

The press service also said that Kochneva was provided financial assistance, and means of communications to contact her relatives.

At the moment, the Ukrainian Embassy in Syria is preparing the documents for the woman’s return to Ukraine.

“Kochneva thanked for those steps that the Ukrainian side took for her release, and announced her plans to return home soon,” the Foreign Ministry said.

As reported, Kochneva was abducted in Syria by rebels from the Free Syrian Army in October 2012. The journalist’s abductors threatened to kill her if they were not paid a $50-million ransom. In January, the rebels told the journalist’s relatives they had agreed to reduce the ransom to $300,000.

On March 11, Kochneva’s relative said that she had escaped from captivity on Monday and that she was in Damascus.