35 conscripts are missing or have been captured in the Bakhmut sector: Their families are urging the state to accelerate the prisoner exchange

The conscripts, who were part of a National Guard unit in Kharkiv, were deployed at the start of the full-scale invasion to defend the region from russian forces. In early 2023, they were redeployed to the Soledar and Bakhmut sectors, where they fought against the Wagner Group. Now these soldiers are in captivity or listed as missing in action.

Nataliia Shubak, the mother of a conscript who went missing near Soledar, stated this at the Media Center Ukraine.

“Eleven of the thirty five conscripts who went missing near Bakhmut and Soledar are confirmed to be in captivity. Twenty four are missing in action. The families also have a question: Why aren’t conscripted soldiers included in prisoner exchanges under the Istanbul agreements?” she said.

According to Shubak, the youngest among the missing was 19 years old, and that was after a year of participating in combat operations. The parents of the missing conscripts are appealing to the authorities to create a priority group specifically for conscripts in prisoner exchanges and to guarantee them adequate social support.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news