«He was in Olenivka, and now he has been in Russia for two years». A rally to remind about captured and missing soldiers was held in Mykolaiv

On 23 February, a reminder of prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Mykolaiv hosted a regular weekly rally to remind people about Ukrainian soldiers who are in captivity or missing. More than 100 people came to today's rally, including relatives and friends of the defenders, as well as concerned citizens.

This was reported by NikVesti.

The participants of the rally once again stressed the need to speed up the exchange of prisoners, the return of missing persons and to draw attention to this problem at the state level. Among them was Antonina, who has been waiting for her son to be released from captivity since April 2022.

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«I know that he has been in Russia for more than two years. First, he was in Olenivka, and from there he has been in captivity in Russia for almost two years. One of the released prisoners from his colony contacted us. He said he had a terrible headache, he hadn't been treated before the war. He went to serve without any medical examinations, he didn't listen to anyone. And now he has lost his hearing because of torture,» says the prisoner's mother.

The woman says she often visits the representative offices in Kyiv, writes appeals to help facilitate the return of the soldier, but does not see any prospects yet.

«All roads lead to the Coordination Headquarters. They tell him to wait, the country is working on his return. I've been standing near the Rada for weeks, but there has been no progress,» she adds.

The relatives of two brothers who were captured by the Russian military after leaving the Illich plant in Mariupol are also waiting for their return from captivity.

«The guys were released from their cell earlier. They told us how they were doing. The younger one's legs are swollen, they hurt all the time. He lost his spirit. We didn't hear anything more. We come to these meetings to remind them. Maybe someone will pay attention, help in their return. There is not a day that goes by when we do not think about them. These three years are not a life, they have passed me by,» the family said.

A reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv on 23 February. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder of prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 23 February, a reminder campaign for prisoners of war was held in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

As a reminder, during the last exchange on 5 February, 25 Mykolaiv marines who defended Mariupol were released from Russian captivity. During the exchange in January, Ukraine managed to return eight Mykolaiv marines who defended Mariupol and «Azovstal».

In total, 1358 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity in 2024. A total of 11 exchanges took place.

It is worth noting that in Mykolaiv, as in most cities of Ukraine, citizens hold a rally every Sunday to remind them that thousands of Ukrainian servicemen are held captive in Russia.

«Indifference is a weapon that kills Ukrainians», «Slavery begins with silence. Shout about prisoners everywhere», «While you plan for the future, they dream of returning to the present» — these are the appeals with which dozens of Mykolaiv residents remind their fellow citizens about prisoners of war as a result of Russian aggression.

As of 2024, almost 1,300 servicemen from the Mykolaiv-based 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi were held captive by the Russian Federation.