The Main Intelligence Directorate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine evacuated Ukrainian sailors who were released from captivity by the Yemeni Houthis. These are three crew members of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was captured on November 19, 2023.
This is reported by the GUR.
Military intelligence officers made the first direct contact with the captured Ukrainians on April 3, 2024. The complex operation to free them lasted for over a year and included a complex informal negotiation process with the Houthis and other parties involved. The Royal Office of the Sultanate of Oman also assisted in this.
Now the released Ukrainian sailors are heading to meet their families. Rehabilitation awaits them.
What preceded this
The Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader ship in November 2023, shortly after the group vowed to attack any vessels associated with Israel.
The ship was sailing from Turkey to India under the flag of the Bahamas and was chartered by a company from Japan. The Houthis explained that they seized the ship because it belongs to the British company Ray Car Carriers. One of its co-owners is Israeli businessman Rami Unger.
In January 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that four Ukrainian sailors were being held captive by the Yemeni Houthis. He did not provide any details, but it is likely that he was referring to the Galaxy Leader ship that the Houthis had captured.
On the evening of January 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. The Houthis then announced that they would voluntarily abide by the agreement and suspend attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Houthi attacks on ships had been ongoing since late 2023, leading most Western container ships to bypass the Red Sea in 2024 and take a much longer route around South Africa on their Asia-Europe voyages. This increased shipping times, prices, and tariffs.