President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes the release of Vitaliy Markiv, a National Guard who was unjustly sentenced to 24 years in prison in Italy for the journalist's death. The President personally negotiated the release of Vitaliy Markiv with the leaders of Italy and requested to facilitate the retrial for a fair decision.
"One translation error could have ruined the fate of our National Guard. The whole country closely followed Vitaliy's case, we were worried. The release of National Guard Markiv is a victory of justice. My sincere gratitude to both the Italian side and the whole team that worked to achieve this justice. Without the participation of Minister of the Interior Arsen Avakov, Ukrainian diplomats, the President’s Office, we would not have managed to get Vitaliy out of prison. Congratulations to all of us. This is truly a festive occasion. Justice must always triumph," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State added that he expects Markiv to arrive in Ukraine as soon as possible.