These were marines who have been stationed to your Snake Isle, away from Ukraine’s 35th Aquatic Brigade
Its chaplain, Olexander Chokov, are one of many priests associated Virozub
“The marines asserted that they had come bombed and that the newest Moskva cruiser got fired multiple salvos. Exactly what was in fact the fresh new people to-do?” told you Chokov. “They had absolutely nothing to battle with, just machine weapons and you will small-arms.
“The chief determined, grabbed obligation to conserve brand new lifetime of the 80 those who was basically on island. They raised the white flag and surrendered.”
That night, the newest Ukrainian inmates were transferred to Simferopol airport and you can stacked on to a keen Il-76 military routes. Virozub mentioned from the 200 anybody agreeable – the latest Snake Isle staff, the fresh Sapphire’s crew, and Ukrainian soldiers who were captured on the Kherson region.
Serhiy Rylsky, who was simply in charge of the lighthouse toward Serpent Isle, remembers that flat landed from the Russian town of Kursk, where inmates was indeed brought to a good tent go camping. Virozub states the fresh go camping was in the latest village https://datingmentor.org/germany-gay-dating/ out of Shebekino, regarding the Russian border area for Belgorod. After per week on the camp, the brand new inmates was delivered to a great pre-demonstration detention hub in the city away from Stary Oskol, in the Belgorod.
‘Delight offer father home’
It absolutely was an issue of days before basic prisoners was basically create. Rylsky, this new lighthouse movie director, invested 30 days into the Russian captivity, coming back home to the twenty four February. The guy quotes one 29 anyone, primarily civilians, have been exchanged on that go out. The group included the fresh new staff of your Sapphire – although not the latest priests and doctor just who followed him or her.
Olexander Mutichko, elder secretary master on the Sapphire, claims these were traded towards the primarily Russian team of tanker Millennial Heart, have been grabbed by the Ukrainian forces in late March.
3 days pursuing the replace, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was requested inside a job interview about prior accounts you to the newest defenders regarding Snake Area got most of the been killed. Now, he asserted that not all of them had died, and that others got only returned home.
“Russia showed up with this suggestion. I traded her or him instead of concern. That’s all. People who died is, genuinely, heroes. And those who live – i exchanged her or him,” new president said.
For the March, following Zelenskyi’s declaration, the brand new prisoners’ family relations acquired phone calls of Ukraine’s State Guidance Bureau, and this collects information on captured soldiers.
A couple groups of seized soldiers were returned when you look at the transfers another day. Bohdan Hotskyi, chief of border guards, returned household toward 19 April.
Your physician and two of your priests who had been towards board the latest Sapphire were together with replaced in the April. However, Virozub, the fresh priest, was only released in-may, immediately after 68 months during the captivity.
Centered on Hotskyi, the fresh new edging protect head, 19 members of their edging guard class will always be inside the captivity so far.
“I hope he or she is put-out. I ask all of the competent bodies to track down working in which techniques, while they [the brand new defenders] have been in captivity for over half a year,” the guy told you.
Relatives of your own grabbed defenders was anticipate so you can Kyiv towards 5 Sep to generally meet officials within Coordinating Head office with the Cures out of Inmates away from War, which includes complete obligations to own Ukrainian POWs. Pursuing the conference, family unit members advised Graty one 31 marines remained from inside the captivity – up until 31 Oct, whenever included in this premiered through a beneficial prisoner exchange with Russia. Today, 47 Serpent Area workers are in Russian captivity.
“My boy along with his wife recently had an infant boy. He was half a year dated whenever his dad visited new area,” said Tetiana Mykolaivna, mom of aquatic Olexander Kardashev. “The guy cannot have any idea the boy has had 1st actions, that he is beginning to cam, he has received his first white teeth.
