Morocco has closely followed release of Brahim Saadoune, detained by pro-Russian forces – The North Africa Post

The good relations that link the Saudi royal family with King Mohammed VI allowed Brahim Saadoune to be freed. Brahim Saadoune was a Moroccan citizen who naturalized as a Ukrainian citizen in 2020. Morocco has followed Brahim’s situation closely and with discretion.

Moroccan Brahim Saidoun, who was captured while fighting alongside the Ukrainian forces by pro-Russian separatist Ukrainians, was released Wednesday night under a prisoner exchange deal that was brokered in Saudi Arabia.

Brahim Saadoun was a student at the University of Aeronautics in Kiev in 2017. He moved to Ukraine to study at the University of Aerospace Sciences in Kiev in 2017. The case was difficult because Morocco has no contact with separatist entities and respects the territorial integrity of other countries.

Brahim Saadoun, a member of a naval force of Ukraine, was taken into custody by pro-Russian separatist Ukrainian troops on March 12, 2022, in Mariupol.

Saadoun and two Britons were sentenced to death in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, a breakaway region in Ukraine’s east.

Married to a Ukrainian bride, he had joined Ukraine’s navy before the conflict broke up and was sent to the theater for operations to fight the Russians.

Thanks to the close ties between King Mohammad VI and the Saudi royal family, Mohamed Bin Salman intervened to free Brahim Saadoun.

According to reports, nine foreign prisoner were freed by the Saudi Crown Princess in a deal that was brokered. They include Saadoune, five Britons and two Americans. One Swedish and one Croat are also included in the deal. According to photos released by Saudi Press Agency, they all arrived safely and comfortably in Saudi Arabia.