The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech welcomes the release of Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko, who has been illegally detained for more than four years in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Yesypenko was detained in March 2021 while performing an editorial assignment. After his arrest, he was tortured, denied access to a lawyer and in 2022 was sentenced by the occupation court to five years in prison on trumped-up charges.
On 20 June 2025, he was released and left the peninsula.
The release of Vladyslav Yesypenko is the result of joint efforts of his family, colleagues, Ukrainian authorities and international partners.
The Committee emphasises that pressure on journalists, intimidation and harassment are a direct attack on freedom of expression.
We urge you not to stop and to continue the fight for the release of all Ukrainian citizens imprisoned for political reasons.