Almost two years, 709 days, the hero of Ukraine, member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Nadiya Savchenko spent in illegal detention in Russia after being abducted from the territory of Ukraine. 
On behalf of the Government of Ukraine I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom for being at the forefront of the coalition of international friends and partners who in solidarity stood for Nadiya’s return to Ukraine by consistently pressing Russia for her release. 
I applaud the personal attention and unexhausted efforts of Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond, Minister for Europe David Lidington, British diplomats in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Embassy in Russia, members of Parliament, namely All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine led by Sir Gerald Howarth.
Let me also thank empathic Britons, British experts and journalists for staying united and determined to bring an end to Nadiya’s politically motivated detention in Russia.
I take this opportunity to praise the devotion of all the Ukrainians in the Great Britain who have made their practical contribution though a range of public campaigns aimed at raising awareness about Nadiya Savchenko case.
Many Ukrainian citizens still remain behind bars in Russia under fabricated charges, including severely ill Yuriy Soloshenko, Mykola Karpyuk, Stanislav Klykh, Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko and others. In total, over 120 Ukrainians, both military and civilians, remain in captivity in the occupied part of Donbas, often – in unacceptable conditions.
The President of Ukraine and all the Ukrainian diplomats supported by our Western allies will keep working together to free Ukrainians illegally detained by Russia and Russia-backed terrorists.