They certainly were marines who have been stationed towards the Serpent Area, regarding Ukraine’s 35th Aquatic Brigade
Its chaplain, Olexander Chokov, are among priests associated Virozub
“The fresh new marines said that they had become bombed and therefore the brand new Moskva cruiser got fired numerous salvos. What was in fact the new boys accomplish?” said Chokov. “That they had nothing to fight with, merely machine guns and you may small-arms.
“The brand new leader determined, grabbed responsibility to conserve the new existence of your own 80 individuals who was in fact into the area. It raised the light banner and you can surrendered.”
One to nights, the fresh new Ukrainian prisoners have been moved to Simferopol airport and stacked to an enthusiastic Il-76 armed forces flights. Virozub counted from the 2 hundred anybody on-board – the fresh Serpent Island personnel, the fresh Sapphire’s staff, together with Ukrainian soldiers have been captured from the Kherson part.
Serhiy Rylsky, who had been in charge of brand new lighthouse into Snake Area, recalls that the plane arrived throughout the Russian town of Kursk, where in fact the inmates have been brought to an excellent tent go camping. Virozub states this new go camping was a student in brand new village of Shebekino, on Russian edging region of Belgorod. Immediately following a week on the go camping, the latest prisoners were provided for a pre-demonstration detention heart around out of Stary Oskol, inside the Belgorod.
‘Excite bring father home’
It had been a question of months before earliest inmates had been create. Rylsky, this new lighthouse director, spent 30 days from inside the Russian captivity, returning house into twenty-four February. The guy estimates one 29 anybody, mostly civilians, was in fact traded thereon go out. The team provided the brand new team of your Sapphire – although not the newest priests and also the doctor which used him or her.
Olexander Mutichko, senior assistant chief on the Sapphire, says these people were replaced towards mainly Russian staff of one’s tanker Millennial Soul, who had been grabbed by the Ukrainian forces in the later March.
3 days following the exchange, Volodymyr Zelenskyi try asked within the an interview about prior profile one brand new defenders out of Serpent Area had all of the become killed. Now, he mentioned that not all of them got died, which the rest got only returned family.
“Russia appeared with this particular proposal. I exchanged her or him in the place of concern. That’s it. People that passed away is actually, frankly, heroes. And those who endured – i exchanged him or her,” the chairman told you.
Into the February, following Zelenskyi’s statement, the prisoners’ nearest and dearest gotten phone calls out of Ukraine’s Condition Advice Bureau, and this gathers information on caught soldiers.
A few categories of grabbed troops were came back for the exchanges next week. Bohdan Hotskyi, master of your border guards, came back home towards the 19 April.
Your physician as well as 2 of your own priests have been into the panel this new Sapphire were as well as traded in April. However, Virozub, the new priest, was just put-out in may, shortly after 68 days within the captivity.
Considering Hotskyi, new border guard chief, 19 members of his border guard people are still in the captivity so far.
“I really hope he or she is put out. I ask every competent authorities to obtain involved in escort in Columbus that it process, while they [the fresh defenders] can be found in captivity for over half a year,” the guy told you.
Household members of captured defenders were greet so you’re able to Kyiv toward 5 Sep to fulfill officials on Coordinating Headquarters to your Procedures regarding Prisoners off Combat, which includes complete obligations to have Ukrainian POWs. Adopting the conference, friends informed Graty you to 30 marines stayed during the captivity – up until 31 Oct, when among them was launched through a prisoner replace with Russia. Today, 47 Serpent Area personnel are into the Russian captivity.
“My guy and his awesome partner has just got an infant child. He was 6 months old when their dad visited new area,” said Tetiana Mykolaivna, mother of aquatic Olexander Kardashev. “He does not have any idea the child has taken 1st procedures, that he’s beginning to chat, that he has received his first teeth.