Crimean Tatar Eskender Kudusov was released from captivity

Among those released from Russian captivity is the Crimean Tatar Eskender Kudusov, a marine captured by the occupiers in 2022 in the Mariupol region. The so-called “DNR court” sentenced him to 29 years and 6 months in prison.

This is reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that during today’s exchange it was possible to return home illegally convicted Ukrainians, including Kudusov.

Eskender was met by his wife Elvira after his captivity.

“Do you remember how you said to me: ‘Elichka, I will come to you through the forests and fields.’ Thank you! I waited. I’m waiting for you, miracle,” she said during a video call.

Elvira said that she had not seen her husband for 4 years and 16 days. During this time, their children — a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter — have grown noticeably. They learned about their father’s exchange while at school in Mykolaiv.

The representative of the Coordination Headquarters informed the woman about the probable return of her husband the day before, after which she left Mykolaiv for the designated place.

“I was told in advance – probably. You can’t trust anyone, you yourself understand who we are dealing with. They said to be, but did not say why. I realized later that they were preparing a surprise for me,” said Elvira.

According to the representation of the President of Ukraine in the ARC, Eskender Kudusov was born in Uzbekistan in a family of Crimean Tatars deported by the Soviet regime, and later the family returned to Crimea.

He started military service at the age of 18 in Zaporizhzhia, participated in peacekeeping missions in Iraq and Kosovo. After the occupation of Crimea, he remained loyal to Ukraine and served in the marines in Feodosia. In 2014, he refused to go over to the side of the occupiers and continued his service in Mykolaiv.

During the full-scale invasion in 2022, Kudusov was in Mariupol. On April 12, together with other soldiers, he tried to escape from the encirclement, but on April 16 he was captured. His wife received the last message from him on March 27, 2022: “Everything is fine with Eskender.”

In 2023, the so-called “DPR court” sentenced Kudusov to 25 years in prison, and in 2024 the sentence was increased to 29 years and 6 months.

We reported that between Ukraine and Russia took place another exchange of prisoners of war according to the “157 for 157” formula.

Ukraine held a new cartel during which 157 Ukrainians – servicemen and civilians – returned home. Among those released are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the State Border Service.