You're reading: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Savchenko tells parliament no life is more important than Ukraine (VIDEO)

Nadiya Savchenko, the Ukrainian military aviator who spent almost two years in Russian custody before she returned home last week, has taken her seat as a member of parliament. She became a hero to many Ukrainains during her detention and was elected in absentia in 2014. She was pardoned last week by Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a prisoner swap, after a defiant period in custody which included several hunger strikes. In her first parliamentary speech, she told lawmakers that the country is more important than anyone's life.

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