In Mykolaiv, families of missing soldiers held a protest

On July 19, a traditional event was held in Mykolaiv to honor Ukrainian prisoners of war and defenders missing in action. The event was attended by 160 people, who came carrying flags and posters with photographs of their relatives and friends.

This was reported by Suspilne.Mykolaiv.

Among the participants was Anastasia, whose father—a soldier in the 79th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade—went missing in action while carrying out a combat mission near Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region.

According to Anastasia, she has been participating in such rallies for over three years. She last spoke with her father on March 12, 2023. Since then, the family has not received any confirmed information about his whereabouts.

Anastasia said that she is in constant contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross and sends inquiries to the aggressor country, trying to find out whether her father is being held captive. However, there has been no confirmation or response to her inquiries so far.

<picture></picture>PHOTO: Suspilne Mykolaiv/Iryna Olekhnovych

Another participant in the rally, Natalia, is waiting for her son, Oleksandr. According to her, the soldier left for a combat mission near the village of Bilokuzminivka in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk Oblast on July 1, and on July 3, the family received a report that he was missing in action.

She says the family has not stopped searching and is reaching out to every possible authority in the hope of learning his fate.

Lilia Pershina, head of the Mykolaiv branch of the public organization “Association of Mothers and Wives of Ukraine’s Defenders,” reported that 160 participants joined the rally this time. They called on people not to forget about the Ukrainian defenders who are prisoners of war or missing in action and to continue the fight for their return.

As a reminder, discussions are ongoing in Mykolaiv regarding the name of the future memorial site dedicated to Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilian hostages, and those missing in action.The Toponymic Commission hasproposed three options, and the families of the servicemen have put forward their own suggestion. 

You can votefor the memorial’s name on the e-DEM e-democracy platform. 

Андрій Колісніченко