KHARKIV, UKRAINE, March 31 – ‘Captivity Kills’: a rally in support of prisoners of war took place in Kharkiv’s center on Svobody Square. Several dozen people attended the event, including relatives of Ukrainian defenders who were captured by Russia or went missing, as well as relatives of Ukrainian civilians who Russia captured.
The participants of the action held posters with references to Ukrainian units whose soldiers had long been detained by the Russians. According to the campaign’s initiators, every Ukrainian can become the voice of those who are currently imprisoned in Russia.
“It is important for the authorities to show that the people care about the POWs, that we remember them. And the key thing is to support the families of the defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol and those who are still in captivity. Their families are very pleased to see that people do care. I see it in my own experience when people recognize me, come up to me and say “thank you” for coming. This is very important to us, so I always call for it on social media. I tell people not to be indifferent, this is not someone’s personal sorrow, this is the sorrow of the entire country,” Ramil Nasirov, a volunteer and member of the Kurgan and Agregat band, told to Gwara journalist.
The participants of the rally called on the Ukrainian authorities and international organizations to be more active in putting pressure on Russia to release Ukrainian soldiers and civilians deprived of their freedom.
As of January 2024, more than 900 soldiers of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, who fought in surrounded Mariupol, are in captivity.
Battle for Mariupol
Russians have blockaded the city since March 2022. The Ukrainian authorities managed to identify about 33,000 people who were forcibly deported from Mariupol to the occupied territory of the Donetsk region or Russia by the Russian occupiers. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that the city’s infrastructure was damaged by 90% due to the hostilities. The city was occupied by Russians in May 2022.
The battle for Mariupol lasted 86 days. According to the UN, the city is “probably the deadliest place in Ukraine.”
More from Gwara
UN Mission reports execution of 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia’s troops over winter. Russia continues to torture and execute Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine released on March 26.
57 bodies from the mass grave on the outskirts of Izium, Kharkiv region, have not been identified as of September 2023.
Up to 100 torture with 700 victims cases are being investigated in Kharkiv Oblast – Prosecutor General. Earlier, the National Police reported that they’ve discovered 28 torture chambers in Kharkiv oblast.
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