Zelenskyy: Four Ukrainian sailors are held captive by the Houthis

A group of Ukrainian sailors who were taken hostage during the seizure of one of the merchant ships in the Red Sea is being held captive by the Yemeni Houthis.

Four Ukrainian sailors are currently in captivity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this at a briefing, RBC-Ukraine reports.

According to Zelenskyi, Ukraine is currently working on the return of sailors from captivity.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, in a comment to hromadske, said that it is about the crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was captured by the Houthis on November 19, 2023

The Houthis seized the ship, landing a helicopter with armed fighters on it. The video of the seizure of the civilian vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea was published on the X social network by the “Ministry of Defense” of Yemen.

The comment on the video referred to a “military operation by the Yemeni naval forces on an Israeli ship.”

According to open sources, the ship under the flag of the Bahamas belongs to the British company Ray Car Carriers. The Israel Defense Forces said Galaxy Leader had no connection to the country. Also, there are no Israelis on the ferry.

The trade union of maritime transport workers of Ukraine maintains contact with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through the Embassy of Ukraine in Great Britain, which deals with the issue of the release of sailors from captivity. Oleh Hryhoriuk, head of Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukrain, said that there is a certain procedure for taking sailors hostage. First, the shipowner sends a professional negotiator who resolves the issue of releasing the ship and the crew. Insurance companies and embassies provide consultants.