Odesa Rally Supports Captured Soldiers Amid Ongoing Exchanges.

Relatives and friends of soldiers who were captured or went missing organized a traditional remembrance rally in the center of Odesa.

As noted by an Intent correspondent, more than 140 people gathered at the scene.

The participants of the action appealed to Odessans to be respectful to the rally. They noted that sometimes passers-by do not behave very politely. The organizers emphasized that the frontline is moving through the territory of Ukraine and can reach Odesa, and that the war will affect everyone, and the relatives and friends of those impolite passers-by may themselves be captured, and then they themselves will join the ranks of the protesters.

The protesters also criticized the Red Cross, saying that the organization was not fulfilling its functions.

A peaceful rally in support of war prisoners and missing soldiers took place in Odesa on January 26 with 60 people participating. The participants walked through the central streets of the city, chanting slogans about captivity and missing persons. During the march, the column was accompanied by representatives of the Dialogue Police. On European Square, the convoy stopped to observe a minute of silence in memory of those who died defending Ukraine and to lay flowers to their portraits.

Earlier on Wednesday, January 15, 25 citizens, including military personnel and civilians, returned to Ukraine during another exchange with Russia. According to him, the released people include defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Many of them have serious injuries or serious illnesses.

On New Year's Eve, 189 Ukrainians returned from captivity. In total, 3,956 people have returned from Russian captivity as part of the work of the Coordination Center, including 1,358 prisoners released in 2024. This was the eleventh exchange in 2024.

Later it became known that nine marines from two Mykolaiv units had returned from enemy captivity. Among them are soldiers who were captured while defending Mariupol. Also, 7 soldiers from Kherson region were released from captivity.

Earlier, Ukraine returned 95 soldiers from Russian captivity. The peculiarity of this exchange is that many Ukrainians are returning home who received so-called "sentences" from the aggressor country's judicial system and were "convicted": 28 to long sentences, and 20 to life imprisonment for defending their own land from the aggressor. Among the released prisoners was journalist, human rights activist, co-founder of Hromadske Radio and the Zmina Human Rights Center Maksym Butkevych.

In September, 49 heroes and heroines returned home. Among them are 23 women who were illegally detained by Russia. This is the largest number of women exchanged in recent times. In August, 22 prisoners of war were returned to Ukraine. In July, 45 of our prisoners were returned to Ukraine. Among them are soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and two civilians. In June, 95 of our people were returned to Ukraine. The list includes soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and border guards.

Кирило Бойко