About 1,300 Mykolaiv marines are in Russian captivity

Servicemen of the 36th Marine Brigade returning from the combat zone, 2018. Photo: NikVesti

The human rights organization «Media Initiative for Human Rights» reported that almost 1,300 servicemen from the Mykolaiv 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinskyi are being held captive by the Russian Federation.

This was stated during the press conference by the coordinator of families of MIPL prisoners, Olena Biliachkova.

According to her, recently it has become known about numerous cases of death of soldiers in captivity. MIPL has already managed to confirm 22 cases of ill-treatment by the Russians, especially in relation to the 36th brigade.

«In total, about 1,300 servicemen of the 36th brigade are in captivity. When the bodies are returned, among them are those who were tortured to death. And a significant part of them are marines. 36 brigade and, in particular, 501 battalion, very rarely appear in exchanges. Moreover, the so-called trials that Russia is conducting against the defenders of Mariupol complicate the exchange, since after the verdicts the prisoners are staged to serve illegal punishment. It is very difficult to get them out from where» said Olena Belyachkova.

During the discussion, relatives of the prisoners declared the need for Ukraine to take into account the length of time in captivity when submitting lists for exchange. In addition, they offer an alternative option to being in captivity — to transfer them to another country, as was once the case with the commanders of the Azovstal defenders.

Mykolaiv marines of the 36th brigade

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the 36th separate marine brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinskyi defended Mariupol.

From March to May 2022, almost two thousand of its fighters were captured by Russia. Since then, only 287 fighters of this brigade have returned from captivity. The rest are held in places of detention in Taganrog, Valuyki, Kursk, Pakino, Mordovia, as well as in the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

In Mykolaiv, townspeople and relatives of servicemen traditionally go to memorial events every Sunday in support of missing prisoners.

Families of captured Mykolaiv marines with a reminder of their relatives in the custody of Russia, photo: NikVesti

Among them are a large number of relatives, wives and children of servicemen of the 36th Brigade.

We will also remind that during the first exchange of prisoners from Russian prisons in 2024 , two soldiers of the 36th separate brigade of marines were released. A combat medic of the Mykolaiv marines and a soldier of the tank battalion of the brigade, who participated in the defense of the Illich plant, returned home.