Themes by tag: prisoners

On July 30, a running flashmob called “Running for Azovstal” will take place on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv in support of the defenders of Mariupol. The project was organized by the Association of “Azovstal” Defenders Families.

The participants are free to choose to run a longer or shorter distance, or choose a route on their own. The race in Kyiv will not have a finish line, because, as the organizers explain, the finish line of the project will be upon the return of all the captured Azovstal heroes.

The goal of the race is not to let the world forget about Mariupol defenders.

• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv

Aliona Lapchuk saw her husband Vitalii Lapchuk alive for the last time on March 27 when he was abducted and beaten by occupiers.  On May 22, Vitalii’s body was found in the Dnieper. His relatives could only recognize him in the photo due to a peculiar birthmark. Vitalii’s wife is still unable to get Vitalii’s body for the funeral.

Vitalii Lapchuk joined Kherson’s Territorial Defense Force in the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He took up arms in late February and continued to fight as an underground resistance fighter even after russian forces had entered the city.

• dead
• prisoners
• russian crimes

Iryna Dubchenko rescued a wounded Ukrainian serviceman in the village of Rozivka, Zaporizhia oblast, where the active combat started at the beginning of March. Then Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat. Iryna found out that one of the wounded, Serhiy from the Aidar Battalion, had been left in a village house without heating and food.

Iryna took care of the military man and planned to take him to Zaporizhia, pretending to be a couple. However, they did not have time to implement the plan: the soldiers in uniforms with the inscriptions of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic came to Irina. That’s how the journalist and the soldier were taken prisoner. The woman was released in early April. Now Iryna lives in Zaporizhia and is waiting for the deoccupation of her home village.

• casualties
• occupation
• prisoners

Terrorists of the self-proclaimed DPR sentenced to death a Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun who defended Ukraine against invaders. Brahim is 21 years old; he is a former student of Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He has been residing in Ukraine since 2019 and signed a contract for military service in 2021. He defended Azovstal Steel Works and was taken captive by russians. Nika, Brahim’s girlfriend, is fighting in Ukraine for his release from captivity.

By way of background information:
UK citizens Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun were sentenced to death in occupied Donetsk. All of them moved to Ukraine and signed contracts with Ukraine’s Armed Forces before the onset of russia’s all-out invasion; thus, they are combatants protected by the Geneva Conventions.

• prisoners
• russian crimes

Families of defenders of Mariupol announced the establishment of the NGO “Ladies of Steel.” The Council of Wives and Mothers of the soldiers will control the process of the repatriation of POWs. For instance, they will launch a Telegram channel for communications that will help exchange the Ukrainian soldiers. Furthermore, they plan to become a mediator between the Ukrainian authorities and the defenders’ families.

• military
• prisoners
• women

Dmytro Kozatskyi, known as the Azov photographer with the call sign Orest, who had been in Azovstal Iron and Steelworks for a long time, called on journalists to distribute his photographs taken at the plant and send them to participate in various professional competitions. The fighter also said that as of today, May 20, he is in russian captivity.

“Well, this is it. Thank you for shelter, Azovstal — the place of my death and my life. By the way, while I am in captivity, I will leave the photos in the best quality for you to send them to all journalistic awards and photo contests. If I win something when I’m out, it will be very nice. Thank you all for your support. See you soon!” — Dmytro said on social media.

Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi is the photographer behind all the pictures and videos from Azovstal that were featured in the world and Ukrainian media, including the photo of the soldier standing in a sunbeam, which recently circulated the world.

High quality photos of the serviceman can be downloaded here.

• military
• prisoners

Associated Press published video footage from the bodycam that belongs to Taira, a volunteer taken into captivity. Yuliia Paievska, who went by call sign Taira, is a Ukrainian paramedic, volunteer, founder, and leader of Taira’s Angels, a medevac volunteer unit. 

 Yuliia was captured by russian invaders in Mariupol after handing over the footage to journalists. Videos show scenes of her saving the wounded and consequences of the shelling of Mariupol by the enemy. There is also footage of russian POWs.

Yuliia was taken into captivity in mid-March. russian propaganda outlets portray her as a “member of Azov battalion.”

• doctors
• prisoners
• women