Zachtei was released on February 18, 2023, after serving 6 and a half years of imprisonment in full. Since it was impossible to get him back to Ukraine due to hostilities, Zakhtei was forcibly taken to the Center for Temporary Detention of Foreign Citizens in Rostov region.

“The conditions in this center are even worse than in the strict regime colony where he was detained. It’s allowed to send parcelsб иге only 3 kg per week, and Andrii drinks water from an old rusty tap - they don't allow to send mineral water. He is allowed to use phone from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but connection is terrible and there is almost no Internet”,the ex-prisoner's wife Oksana commented to the Association.

Zakhtei filed an application to the Migration Service of Ukraine asking for a temporary document to come back home. Such documents are issued by the service according to a pilot project that has being implemented since November 2022. In Zakhtei's case, the Migration Service refused, citing that it was unable to confirm all the information about his identification from the Unified State Demographic Register. The Migration Service informed though that the application can be submitted again after the reasons for the refusal were eliminated.

As a reminder, Andrii Zakhtei was detained by the russian FSB in August 2016.
The Russian special services claimed that detained in this case Yevhen Panov, who was released during a major exchange in 2019, and Andrii Zakhtei planned to carry out terrorist attacks on the peninsula's tourist and social infrastructure. Zachtei signed a pre-trial agreement with the investigation. He was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in a strict regime colony, as well as a fine of 220 000 rubles (appr. 105 000 UAH). Later, Zachtei reported to have been tortured during his detention and investigation.