Four Ukrainian citizens have been captured by the Houthis.President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a press conference with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak.
Commenting on the events in the Middle East, where the forces of the international coalition, with the participation of the United Kingdom, struck military targets of the Houthis in Yemen, Zelensky said that “the situation is important for Ukraine’s security as it has an impact on Ukrainian citizens”.
“Four of our sailors are in captivity with the Houthis, and we will work on their return,” the president said.
On November 19, 2023, Yemeni Houthi rebels seized the commercial vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea, stating it was ‘in support of Hamas.
According to the office of the Prime Minister of Israel, the ship belongs to a British company and is operated by a Japanese company. “There are 25 crew members of various nationalities on board the ship, including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine immediately instructed Ukrainian embassies to verify information about the presence of Ukrainian citizens on the seized vessel. However, the ministry later avoided publicly confirming or refuting whether there were Ukrainians on board the ship.
There have been no other reports of Ukrainians being captured by the Houthis.