KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – An armed man who on Tuesday took more than a dozen hostages on a long-distance bus in the city of Lutsk in western Ukraine, fulfilled his agreement with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and released them shortly after Zelenskiy suggested to Ukrainians. to watch a documentary on animal rights, the president said Wednesday.
Zelenskiy spoke to the kidnapper for several minutes on Tuesday night, the president announced.
“We had data on a wounded person (hostage) and asked him to release the wounded person (hostage), a pregnant woman and a child. He said the wounded hostage doesn’t exist, it was a bluff. So we agreed that he would. He let three other people in and then recorded a video (message) “Zelenskiy said in a 12-hour hostage drama.
The attacker, known to police as Maksim Krivosh, a Russian-born 44-year-old Ukrainian, took the bus with thirteen other people on Tuesday morning, causing one with police in Lutsk, 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the capital Kiev. Training
At one point, the assailant threw explosives out the window, but no one was injured. He also fired several shots at a police drone.
One of his demands is that Zelenskiy post a video message on the president’s Facebook page urging Ukrainians to watch “Earthlings,” a 2005 American documentary exposing the ruthless exploitation of animals through humanity.
A video of Zelenskiy saying: “Movie ‘Earthlings’, 2005. Everybody should watch” appeared on his Facebook page shortly after the first three hostages were reported to be released.
Zelenskiy said Krivosh promised to release the others half an hour after the video was posted. “So it happened: In 30-40 minutes he released the hostages,” the president said.
The video was later deleted from his Facebook account.
According to the authorities, Krivosh was sentenced twice for a series of fees (theft, fraud, illegal arms management) and spent a total of 10 years in prison.
Ukrainian media said he was an animal rights activist who helped protect stray dogs.
Some of the released hostages told reporters that he had treated them well and asked them to remain calm.
The man is in custody and is reportedly cooperating with law enforcement. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said police detained several of his accomplices on Tuesday night.
Avakov did not give the main points of what caused the incident, he just said that the aggressor “was a volatile guy who painted his worldview and invented revenge.”