‍^{photo: Telegram Channel Zelenskiy/Official}
Crimean Tatar Leniye Umerova returned to Ukraine as a result of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. In total, 49 Ukrainians were released, including 23 women.

“49 Ukrainians and Ukrainian women are home. These are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, as well as our civilians. In particular, Leniye Umerova.... We also managed to release some more defenders of Azovstal. The Hero of Ukraine, military medic Viktor Ivchuk is also at home,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his telegram channel.

‍^{photo: Telegram Channel Zelenskiy/Official}

Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, said on his social media that representatives of the President's office were at the exchange site to inform the released Ukrainians about their right to proper medical examination, rehabilitation and restoration of their documents.

‍“Incredible news, I still can't believe it. We welcome Leniye home and free. We thank everyone who has been by our side all this time,” wrote Aziz Umerov, Leniye's brother, on Facebook.

Leniye Umerova was detained by the Russians in December 2022 after she crossed the border between Georgia and Russia. Leniye was trying to get to Crimea through Russia to visit her father with cancer. Subsequently, the girl, who was 24 years old at the time, was charged with “violating the state border.” And 3 months later, she was accused of espionage and transferred to Moscow to the Lefortovo prison, where she faced up to 20 years in prison. The representative office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea called such actions of Russia revenge for the fact that Leniye Umerova renounced her Russian citizenship after the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

On social media, Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars do not hide their joy: