KIEV: Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko returned home to a hero’s welcome Wednesday after nearly two years in a Russian jail following a prisoner swap with Moscow that drew a line under a major diplomatic spat.
The 35-year-old army helicopter pilot flew home as part of a carefully choreographed exchange with Moscow, with two alleged Russian soldiers leaving Ukraine earlier in the day.
“I’m ready to once again give my life for Ukraine on the battlefield,” a defiant Savchenko declared after she touched down on home soil, barefoot and wearing a white T-shirt bearing the Ukrainian trident, a national symbol.
Soon after the presidential …read more
Source: The Manila Times
