Odesa residents held a traditional rally in memory of prisoners of war

A group of Odesa residents came out for a traditional rally to remind of those Ukrainian soldiers who are still in captivity of the occupiers.

The actions take place almost every Sunday, sometimes accompanied by performances.

The activists are relatives of the prisoners and they remind us that the Azov battalion is still in captivity. One of the posters reads, "Zelensky, Yermak, where is Azov?"

On August 24, Ukraine and Russia made the 55th prisoner exchange. Ukraine returned 115 soldiers from Russian captivity, including defenders of the Kherson region. All the prisoners rescued during the exchange are conscripts, including those who were captured during the heroic defense of their homeland in the first months of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

In July, the families of captured Ukrainian soldiers gathered on the embankment of Lanzheron Beach in Odesa to demand the release of their loved ones held by Russia. The event began with a minute of silence and a prayer for the release of prisoners of war. The participants of the action brought posters with various appeals: "Where is Azov", "Give them back their lives", "My heart is in captivity", "They also want to be free".

On June 15, relatives and friends of the captured military held a rally on Deribasovskaya Street in Odesa to demand the immediate release of the prisoners.

Anaction organized by the families of military personnel to draw attention to the problem of missing sailors took place in Odesa on May 26.

A similar rally in support of the captured defenders of Mariupol was held on May 11 at Lanzheron Beach in Odesa with the support of the Cultural Desant.

Participants held posters reminding that the defenders of Mariupol have been in captivity for two years. Vasyl Vyrozub, the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Odesa, who was held captive by the Russians and returned to Ukraine in May 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange, delivered a speech at the rally.