Send Letter eng
Prisoners of war

Two years in the hell of captivity: families of the marines — defenders of Mariupol ask to get the soldiers out of captivity

On Saturday, April 13, relatives of marines, medics, and all those who have been defending Mariupol for 86 days gathered on Independence Square in Kyiv. Wives, mothers, and children came to a peaceful rally in the center of the capital to remind them that more than 1,500 Mariupol defenders had been in captivity for two years.

More than a hundred people came to the action performance to support prisoners of war and missing persons. Near the inscription “Mariupol,” black bags symbolize the Ukrainians killed and tortured by Russia.

Young children are wrapped in flags, holding posters with the words “Bring back my dad” instead of toys.  All these people have been living in anticipation for two years. Such actions are one of the few public opportunities to remind them of their relatives who are being held captive by Russia in inhumane conditions.

Mariia Chernikina is a sister of Oleh Nechaev, a soldier of the 501st Marine Battalion. He is one of more than 270 marines who were taken prisoner on April 4, 2022, by order of the battalion commander and one of the senior officers.

— The only thing I know about my brother for these two long years is that he is alive and that the International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed his captivity twice,” says Mariia. Such events are significant to us. We go out every week in different cities to remind people of those who defended Mariupol to the last. It is essential to remember them and fight with all our might, just as they fought for us.

Mariia Chernikina, sister of Oleh Nechaev, a soldier with the 501st Marine Battalion (center)

Mariia adds that she wants all the defenders of Mariupol to be returned from captivity. The woman hopes that Oleh will be exchanged soon, as he has a very sick wife and two young children, whom she has taken custody of.

Kateryna Hnydash is also waiting for her brother’s return. Her brother Oleksii Shevchenko served as a medic in the 501st Marine Battalion:

— Our family is looking forward to his return. We want our battalion to receive attention, they have been in this hell for two years now, and there have been cases of our soldiers dying in captivity.

Kateryna says that Oleksii has asthma and is held captive without medical care, constantly abused, and tortured. 

Mariia Barkova also came to the peaceful action for the sake of her brother Petro, who serves in the 501st Marine Battalion:

— I have been attending such events since June 2023. It was then that I realized that few people knew about the defenders of Mariupol who held the line at the Ilyich plant. People thought that Mariupol was only about Azovstal, and my goal was to remind them that there were others, in particular, to tell them about the feat of the 501st Battalion, where my brother serves.

Mariia Barkova, sister of a soldier from the 501st Marine Battalion

The woman says that after each such action, her relatives hope they will be heard, and their loved ones will be exchanged. However, in two years in captivity, only 20 soldiers from the 501st Battalion have been returned home, and more than 250 remain in captivity.

— Unfortunately, in the 15 months since the last exchange of our guys, one man was returned alive and four tortured. That is why we need to remind the world about our loved ones. In my opinion, if the world knows about Ukrainian prisoners, there will be more chances that they will return home alive,” adds Mariia.

Olena Turas, a senior combat medic with the 36th Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Bilinsky, knows what Russian captivity is like from her own experience. Until April 12, 2022, Olena and her comrades defended the Ilyich plant. During her time in captivity, she visited four places of detention, first in abandoned hangars in the village of Sartana, then in the Olenivska colony, she was taken to Taganrog Detention Center No. 2, and finally to a model prisoner of war camp in Sevastopol. Olena Turas came to the rally for the sake of her POW husband, Andrii:

— My husband has been in captivity for two years now, and the whole brigade is with him. They are my family because the Marines are a brotherhood where we all stand up for each other. I have been in the Marines for six years, so they are all like family.

During Andrii’s entire time in captivity, there was no communication with him. Only from exchanged soldiers was it possible to find out some information. Andrii still does not know that Olena was captured pregnant and later gave birth to a son.

— It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be in captivity. Perhaps there are no words to convey to people how bad it is there. It is complete isolation, torture, uncertainty. You are always depressed,” says Olena. “I think that all these people who came today for the sake of those who are in captivity or missing, they feel it, and it hurts them a lot. I hope many people care, and together, we will do everything to free our soldiers because they rely on us.

Olena Belyachkova, coordinator of the families of POWs and missing persons groups at the Media Initiative for Human Rights, expressed her support for the families of prisoners of war:

— “We at the Media Initiative for Human Rights have always supported and will continue to support the families of the prisoners. We fight together with them for the return of our defenders back home. We know the conditions in which prisoners are held and the inhumane treatment they are subjected to daily. As a human rights organization, we record and document Russia’s war crimes. Therefore, until all the prisoners are returned, the MIHR will help and support the families.

Olena Belyachkova, coordinator of the families of POWs and missing persons groups at the Media Initiative for Human Rights

In the end, the participants remembered all the soldiers who gave their lives defending Ukraine by releasing a dozen black balloons into the sky. 

Photo: Viktor Kovalchuk

0 Comments

Leave a comment

Your e-mail address will not be published. Mandatory fields are marked *

Similar posts
Prisoners of war
MIHR contributes to the development of a map documenting the locations where the Azov fighters are held in Russian captivity

28 May 2025 saw a presentation of the Inferno project’s website and interactive map in Kyiv. This initiative is led by the Azovstal Defenders’ Families Association and the International Cooperation Department of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. The Media Initiative for Human Rights has joined the project as one of the partners by providing data to create the map of detention facilities.

29 May 2025

Prisoners of war
94% of Ukrainian Prisoners of War Convicted in Russia Are Accused of Terrorism

Monitoring of unlawful court cases against Ukrainian prisoners of war, conducted by the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), shows that courts in the occupied territories mostly convict POWs for "murders," while courts in Russia hand down verdicts based on "terrorism" charges.

23 April 2025

Prisoners of war
Three Sleepless Years, Cancer and Despair: Families of Captive Marines Speak of “Dual Torture”

Around 1,300 Ukrainian marines remain in Russian captivity. For the past three years, their families have been fighting to bring them home. But alongside this uphill battle is another, quieter war – the fight to preserve their health. Families describe their experience as a form of dual torture: while the marines endure physical and psychological abuse in Russian prisons, the pain and suffering reverberate back home.

16 April 2025

More articles
Our social media
Relevant publications
More articles
Prisoners of war
MIHR contributes to the development of a map documenting the locations where the Azov fighters are held in Russian captivity

28 May 2025 saw a presentation of the Inferno project’s website and interactive map in Kyiv. This initiative is led by the Azovstal Defenders’ Families Association and the International Cooperation Department of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. The Media Initiative for Human Rights has joined the project as one of the partners by providing data to create the map of detention facilities.

29 May 2025

Enforced disappearances
The body of a man with a gunshot wound to the head, who went missing in 2022, was found in a field in the Kherson region. His friend is still missing

Both men were from the Kherson region. On 26 March 2022, they set out together from Kyiv to return home. Ruslan headed for the Bilozerka district, and Khidir headed for the Chaplynka district. Kherson region was already under occupation at that time, but civilians could still move in and out.

28 May 2025

Advocacy
Ukrainian human rights activists propose a new tactic for the OSCE to free Ukrainian civilians abducted by Russia

Torture, isolation, murder, and gloom of Russian prisons. In Vienna, Ukrainian human rights activists told the world about the fate of thousands of civilians who have become hostages of the occupation regime. The focus was on the stories of illegally detained journalists, mayors, activists, and new proposals for their release.

7 May 2025

More articles