Mykolaiv honors fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Olenivka

On this day in Mykolaiv, city residents and activists gathered for a nationwide minute of silence to commemorate the captured and killed soldiers in Olenivka.

The All-Ukrainian public organization Mothers and Wives of Defenders of Ukraine in Mykolaiv Oblast wrote about it on its social media page.

The action was dedicated to the third anniversary of the terrorist attack.

People with flags and posters gathered on the roadway at the corner of Central Avenue and Soborna Street.

A metronome counted down sixty beats over a loudspeaker. Then the Ukrainian anthem was played.

"Today is also a thematic event. We are remembering the fallen defenders who died in captivity. Three years ago, on the night of July 28-29, 2022, a terrorist attack took place in Olenivka," says Lilia Pershyna, the event organizer.

There were thirty participants.

In Odesa, people are also reminiscing about prisoners of war. According to new data from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, at least 177 Ukrainian prisoners died in Russian captivity after the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Such events are also a hope to solve the information problem. Participants of the action say that they do not have official information from the state. They can't find answers even after dozens of inquiries, they don't have access to databases, and they don't receive calls. The problem is the same across the country and the occupied parts of it. For example, during prisoner exchanges, Russia is most resistant to the return of Azov soldiers, journalists, and Crimean Tatars. The latter category is considered particularly undesirable because, according to the occupiers, the release of Crimean Tatars increases resistance in Crimea.

Олександра Горст