President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky last night said that ten people, all civilians, were returned to the country from captivity in Russia and its ally Belarus, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky wrote in his post on the "Telegram" application that among those returned are a prominent representative of the ethnic Tatar community in Crimea, two Catholic priests and five people who were held captive in Belarus. There were also two civilians detained before the Russian invasion in 2022.
Meanwhile, also last night, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that its executive board had approved the release of $2.2 billion in budget support for Ukraine, after completing the fourth review of the country's four-year credit program totaling 15, 6 billion dollars.
An IMF statement said Ukraine's performance under the extended financing program remained good despite the difficult conditions, with quantitative targets met and structural indicators met on time or with minor delays.
The fund revised downward its forecast for Ukraine's GDP growth in 2024 to a range of 2.5-3.5%, compared to the previous April forecast of 3.2%. The fund cited deteriorating consumer and business sentiment due to recent developments in the Russian invasion, as well as increased Russian attacks that have damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure.