Nadiya Savchenko marks second birthday in Russian prison

On May 11, Nadiya Savchenko turned 35 in a Russian prison. It was the second birthday Ms. Savchenko, a member of a volunteer brigade fighting Russian-backed militants in Ukraine’s east, marked in Russian captivity since she was kidnapped and taken across the border to Russia. Ms. Savchenko’s birthday was the focus of gatherings in various cities. In Kyiv, lanterns were set aloft in order to, as Vira Savchenko said, light her sister’s way home. In Riga, the capital of Latvia, 35 blue and yellow balloons, with birthday messages written on them, were released into the air to mark Nadiya’s 35th birthday. In Paris, a group of Ukrainians got together to sing a rousing “Mnohaya Lita” and posted video of this greeting to Nadiya on Facebook. Vira Savchenko shared news of these public celebrations on her Facebook page. A campaign to mail Nadiya Savchenko birthday greetings was under way. In addition, her lawyer Mark Feygin was accepting birthday greetings on his Facebook page which he said he would share with Nadiya. The file photo above was posted on Facebook by Euromaidan Press on May 11.