Vice News Reporter Simon Ostrovsky Freed From Captivity in Eastern Ukraine

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In this photo taken on Sunday, April 13, 2014, a U.S. reporter Simon Ostrovsky, right, stands with a Pro-Russian gunman at seized police station in the eastern Ukraine town of Slovyansk.

Image: Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

By Brian Ries2014-04-24 16:53:26 UTC

Vice News reporter Simon Ostrovsky is free after spending four days in captivity in east Ukraine, multiple reporters in Ukraine say.

Vice confirmed the news in a tweet.

"Breaking: hostage @SimonOstrovsky is free and safe. He is with us in CBC car en route to Donetsk @CBCNews @CBCAlerts," journalist J-Francois Belanger tweeted Thursday afternoon.

"Simon Ostrovsky is free — BBC has spoken to him direct. He is on his way to Donetsk," added the BBC's Kevin Bishop.

Bishop then tweeted a photo of BBC journalist Natalia Antelava speaking on the phone to Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky was captured by pro-Russian separatists on Monday while reporting in Sloviansk, Ukraine, for Vice News. Multiple governments and organizations condemned the kidnapping, and a "people's mayor" in the town had given indications that he would eventually be freed.

Ostrovsky is reportedly "delighted to see how many more twitter followers he's acquired," Bishop says.

"VICE News is delighted to confirm that our colleague and friend Simon Ostrovsky has been safely released and is in good health," a Vice spokesperson said in a statement provided to Mashable. "We would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. Out of respect for Simon and his family's privacy, we have no further statement at this time."

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Topics: Media, russia, US & World, World