Aug. 31, 2024, 2:17 p.m.
(Photo: NAVY)
Activists of the NGO United by the Sea, relatives and friends of servicemen from other units who went missing in action for Ukraine, held an event in Odesa dedicated to the International Day of the Disappeared.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Navy, their representatives also attended the event.
The organization unites families of sailors who went missing while defending our country in the Black Sea. According to Olesya Aulina, head of the organization "United by Sea," with this and other similar events, their organization is trying to inform the public about the moral, legal, psychological and social consequences for the relatives and friends of a missing person, to remind the public about those who are still listed as missing, as well as to support families and unite in common hope and struggle.
As part of the event, the organizers also held a campaign called "Letters that are waiting for", calling on everyone to write a letter to those who are currently in captivity or missing. The members of the NGO are not limited to holding public events, but are also active in providing psychological and legal assistance, interacting with other NGOs and government agencies, organizing regular meetings with the families of the missing, in short, doing everything possible to get rid of the status of "missing" for those of our defenders whose fate is currently unknown.
Photo: UKRAINIAN NAVY
For example, on July 7, relatives, friends, and loved ones of missing sailors and prisoners of war organized a rally in Odesa on cars and motorcycles to remind them of their names and support their families.
As Tatyana Sherishorina, the mother of one of the missing sailors from the Sloviansk, explained to Intent, last year they organized a concert, and now they decided to remind the families of the missing in a different way.
"The Slaviansk is a B-series Island patrol boat built for the U.S. Coast Guard. On September 27, 2018, it was transferred to Ukraine. The ship's tail number is P190, named after the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk region.
On March 3, 2022, it was sunk by a Russian Federation aircraft as a result of an air-to-ground cruise missile.
Since 2023, actions in support of the missing sailors have been held regularly. For example, in July 2023, a charity event was held in support of the missing sailors of the patrol boat Slaviansk, the amphibious assault boat Stanislav, and other Ukrainian prisoners of war.
"The Stanislav is an armored assault boat, the second boat of the 58503 Centaur-LK project. Around 10:30 am on May 7, 2022, during the assault on Zmiinyi Island, 20 meters from the island, the Stanislav assault boat was hit by a Russian missile fired from an aircraft and sank. The air-to-surface missile hit the engine room, and within 20 seconds the boat sank to the bottom about 20 meters deep. Three crew members were rescued, but five went missing.
Last year, a charity event in support of the missing sailors of the patrol boat Slaviansk, the amphibious assault boat Stanislav and other Ukrainian prisoners of war was held in front of the city hall on July 9.