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Simon Ostrovsky, U.S. journalist held in Ukraine, now free

Simon Ostrovsky, the U.S. journalist who was being held by pro-Russian gunmen in eastern Ukraine, is free and safe.

"Hostage @SimonOstrovsky is free and safe," Radio-Canada journalist Jean-François Bélanger tweeted on Thursday. "He is with us in CBC car en route to Donetsk."

Ostrovsky, a journalist for Vice News, had been covering the crisis in Ukraine for weeks and was reporting about groups of masked gunmen seizing government buildings in one eastern Ukrainian city after another when he was detained by pro-Russian gunmen for what they called "bad activities."

Vice News tweeted that it was "delighted to confirm that our colleague and friend @SimonOstrovsky has been released and is in good health."

After his release, Ostrovsky tweeted that he had been "beaten, blindfolded and hands tied at first, then treated well."

The CBC's Nahlah Ayed, reporting from Donetsk, said Bélanger was driving in a CBC car when he spotted Ostrovsky walking along on a street "with his belongings in a plastic bag."

Travelling in Slaviansk, Bélanger stopped, got Ostrovsky into the car, and headed toward Donetsk, about 125 kilometres away.

Stella Khorosheva, a spokeswoman for the pro-Russian insurgents in the eastern city of Sloviansk, confirmed Wednesday that Ostrovsky was being held at the local branch of the Ukrainian security service that was seized more than a week ago.

"He's with us. He's fine," Khorosheva told The Associated Press. When asked why Ostrovsky was being held captive, Khorosheva said he is "suspected of bad activities." She said the insurgents were holding Ostrovsky pending their own investigation.