A rally in support of captured defenders was held on the roadside in Odesa

A rally to support the families of prisoners and missing persons took place on July 6 on Shevchenko Avenue in Odesa.

People gathered to remind society and the authorities that behind every name there is a story, hope and daily expectation, Novosti.LIVE reported.

People stood on the side of the road along the avenue, holding placards, and their main message was to remember. To remember the soldiers who do not communicate, who are held in captivity, who are still waiting at home.

The organizer of the action explained that this is not the first month that they have been taking to the streets. She believes that they need to unite not only for the sake of their loved ones, but also for the sake of all those who have not yet returned.

The people who come to the rallies are of different ages and from different parts of the country. But they have a common goal - to bring back their loved ones. And they are sure that as long as there are actions, letters, memories and photos, these names are not just entries in the reports. They are real people who are waiting for them.

On Sunday, June 15, repatriation activities continued as agreed in Istanbul. Servicemen of the Armed Forces, including the Airborne Forces, Navy, and the Theater of Operations, as well as the State Border Guard Service, National Guard of Ukraine, and State Special Transport Service, who were classified aswounded and seriously ill, returned home. The vast majority of the released defenders had been in captivity since 2022. Many of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol. Most of the liberated defenders are officers. Also, some of the liberated are under 25 years old.

The final stage of the large exchange of prisoners in the thousand-for-thousand format took place on May 25, with 303 prisoners returning to Ukraine.

The liberated defenders defended Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk sectors, in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions, in Kherson, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. 70 Mariupol defenders are returning home.

On May 24, the second stage of a large prisoner exchange with the Russian Federation in the format of "1000 for 1000" took place, and 307 defenders returned to Ukraine.

On May 23, the first stage of a large prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place. The exchange is conducted in a 1000-for-1000 format and will last three days. Then 307 prisoners returned - 270 military and 120 civilians.

Кирило Бойко