China News Service, July 22. According to a comprehensive Russian satellite network report on the 22nd, on the evening of July 21, local time, the hijacking of a bus in the center of Lutsk, Ukraine came to an end. The hijackers were arrested and all the hostages in the vehicle were rescued. Later, Ukrainian President Zelensky said when talking about the incident that he talked with the hijacker for 10 minutes and revealed why he decided to abandon the assault.
On July 21, local time, an armed man hijacked a bus in Lutsk, Ukraine, and took the hostages on it. At present, all the kidnapped hostages have been rescued safely.
On July 21, a man carrying explosives and weapons hijacked a bus in the center of Lutsk. After a day of negotiations, he surrendered to law enforcement officers. All 13 hostages were released and no one was injured.
In this incident, the turning point in the rescue of the hostages was that Zelensky met the demands of the hijackers. The hijacker asked Zelensky to issue a statement calling on all Ukrainians to watch the movie "Citizens of the Earth."
According to reports, Zelensky said in a video comment published by Ukrainian media: “I talked with him for 7 to 10 minutes. We agreed that he would take the first step. He released a few people first. I asked him to release his injuries. He said no one was injured, that’s a lie. So we agreed that he would release 3 people first, and then I would shoot the video. After the video was uploaded to the social network, he would release everyone within half an hour. This is roughly how things developed: 30 to 40 minutes later, he released the hostages..."
Zelensky said: "If we can do something without surprise, if we can not risk even one person's life, then...this is the principle of my life before, now and in the future."
According to the report, Zelensky said that the official negotiations with the hijacker lasted for 9 hours, but he only wanted to meet his own requirements. He said: "Some people suggest that special operations be launched immediately, but there is always a risk of death."
According to previous media reports, the kidnapper was Maksym Kryvosh and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud and illegal possession of weapons. The movie "Citizens of the Earth" he mentioned is an American documentary released in 2005 that tells about animal rights.