Freed paramedic says those remaining in capitivity retain hope

On the evening of Saturday, June 18, the interview with the heroine was released by TSN’s special correspondent Andriy Tsaplienko, Ukrinform reports.

According to the journalist, the sources who gave him the video did not discloise Taira’s whereabouts, assuring him that she is now in a safe place and in good condition.

“I thank the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for organizing this exchange […] And everyone, who is on the other side now, knows that everything will work out and that we will all return home. Just like I am home now. Thank you,” she said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky broke the news of the Yulia Payevska’s release from captivity on Friday, June 17.

As Ukrinform reported, Yulia “Taira” Payevska, a well-known volunteer paramedic who had been saving lives of both military and civilians in Donbas for the past eight years, was captured by Russian forces on March 16.

Payevska is an aikido coach and designer by education. From the onset of the war in the east, she had been helping the wounded as a paramedic. Payevska later set up her own evacuation team, “Taira’s Angels.” According to Army Inform, as of 2019 alone, the team has rescued more than 500 Ukrainian servicemen.