On the instructions of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine successfully conducted a joint operation to release three Ukrainian sailors from the captivity of the Yemeni Houthis.

Three Ukrainian citizens were taken during the seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in November 2023. Since then, negotiations were underway on their release.

Now the three Ukrainians are safe and being taken care of by Ukrainian diplomats. They are in good physical condition and hold all the necessary documents. Soon they will return to Ukraine.

We thank our colleagues from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine for the successful joint operation which led to the liberation of Ukrainian citizens.

We express our special gratitude to the Sultanate of Oman and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman in particular, for their attention to the fate of the three Ukrainians and mediating their liberation from captivity. We look forward to further active development of bilateral relations after the opening of the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in Oman last year.