In Odesa, prisoners of war were remembered

A rally in support of captured and missing military and civilians took place in Odesa on October 5.

Families came out to once again draw public attention, Novosti.LIVE reported.

They were joined by a marine from Azovstal who had recently returned from captivity. Shevchenko Avenue in Odesa has become a place of remembrance for those who are still missing. Families of captured and missing soldiers and civilians gathered here. They were holding posters with photos of their loved ones. Marine Juan Alberto Leyva Garcia also joined the action. The Azovstal fighter returned from Russian captivity on August 14. Now, after rehabilitation, he has returned to Odesa. The defender came to support families, including the defenders of Mariupol, who are still in the clutches of the enemy.

The actions take place in Odesa quite regularly. For example, on August 24, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war and missing persons and activists came to Pryvokzalna Square in Odesa to hold a weekly reminder rally.

At the end of June, Ukrainian defenders under the age of 25, as well as those who were wounded and have health problems, were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Earlier, during the next stage of a large prisoner exchange, "wounded and seriously ill" prisoners 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 released defenders are officers. Also, some of the liberated are under 25 years old.

Also in June, relatives of the missing soldiers again rallied in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Odesa, demanding that the organization's representatives take a more active part in bringing the defenders home. Relatives of the missing soldiers believe that the ICRC is not doing enough to do this and to search for their relatives.

Кирило Бойко