A Ukrainian pilot detained in Russia since 2014 is to return home after a dramatic prisoner swap with Russia, the Guardian reports.
Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, arrived at Kiev’s Borispol airport on Wednesday to welcome Nadiya Savchenko, who flew home from Russia in exchange for the release of two Russians held by Kiev.
Poroshenko is expected to address the nation at 3:15 pm local time.
Savchenko's release is seen a triumphant moment for Ukraine, where she is considered a national hero.
Her release also marks a significant moment of rapprochement between Russia and Ukraine, and a breakthrough in unsteady diplomatic negotiations conducted in Minsk.
Savchenko's discharge comes a few weeks before the European Union decides whether to extend sanctions against Russia, imposed following President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and his covert invasion of eastern Ukraine.