Their chaplain, Olexander Chokov, is one of many priests associated Virozub
“The latest marines asserted that that they had come bombed hence the fresh new Moskva cruiser got discharged numerous salvos. Just what had been the fresh guys to-do?” said Chokov. “They’d absolutely nothing to battle with, only host guns and you can small arms.
“New commander determined, got obligation to conserve the fresh life of the 80 people that was in fact for the area. They raised the light flag and you can surrendered.”
One to nights, the new Ukrainian inmates was transferred to Simferopol airport and you will piled on to an Il-76 military flights. Virozub counted regarding the 200 anyone on board – the newest Serpent Area group, the brand new Sapphire’s team, and additionally Ukrainian troops have been caught throughout the Kherson area.
Serhiy Rylsky, who was simply accountable for the newest lighthouse on Snake Area, remembers the airplanes arrived from the Russian city of Kursk, where the inmates have been taken to a tent camp. Virozub says new go camping was a student in the newest village out of Shebekino, throughout the Russian edging region of Belgorod. After per week about camp, the latest prisoners was delivered to an effective pre-demo detention hub in the city out of Stary Oskol, when you look at the Belgorod.
‘Delight promote father home’
It actually was a matter of months until the basic prisoners was in fact released. Rylsky, the new lighthouse manager, spent thirty days inside the Russian captivity, going back home into the twenty four February. The guy estimates one to 29 individuals, mainly civilians, was exchanged on that time. The group provided the latest team of one’s Sapphire – yet not the newest priests therefore the doctor who adopted him or her.
Olexander Mutichko, senior secretary master to the Sapphire, says they certainly were traded into the mostly Russian crew of tanker Millennial Spirit, have been grabbed by the Ukrainian pushes during the late March.
3 days adopting the replace, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was questioned when you look at the a job interview about early in the day reports one new defenders out of Serpent Isle had all of the been murdered. This time, he asserted that only some of them had died, and therefore others got only returned domestic.
“Russia appeared with this particular proposition. We exchanged him or her instead hesitation. That’s it. People who died are, genuinely, heroes. And people who lasted – we replaced them,” the brand new chairman told you.
From inside the February, following Zelenskyi’s statement, the brand new prisoners’ nearest and dearest acquired phone calls out of Ukraine’s County Pointers Bureau, and therefore gathers information regarding seized soldiers.
Two groups of caught soldiers have been returned inside exchanges the second few days. Bohdan Hotskyi, head of edging shields, came back house into 19 April.
Your physician as well as 2 of your own priests have been to the board new Sapphire have been as well as exchanged in the April. However, Virozub, the newest priest, was only put out in may, immediately after 68 days in the captivity.
Based on Hotskyi, the brand new edging shield captain, 19 members of his border guard class will always be when you look at the captivity so far.
“I am hoping they are put out. We query all the skilled bodies to track down doing work in so it processes, as they [the fresh new defenders] can be found in captivity for over 6 months,” the guy said.
Loved ones of your own seized defenders was basically welcome in order to Kyiv with the 5 September meet up with authorities on Complimentary Headquarters for the Cures off Prisoners out of Conflict, which has total duty for Ukrainian POWs. Following the appointment, nearest and dearest told Graty that 31 marines stayed free asexual dating apps Germany during the captivity – up until 30 October, whenever included in this was released through a good prisoner replace which have Russia. Today, 47 Snake Area workers are from inside the Russian captivity.
“My guy and his awesome girlfriend has just had an infant kid. He had been 6 months dated when his dad visited this new isle,” told you Tetiana Mykolaivna, mother off aquatic Olexander Kardashev. “He will not have any idea the child has brought his first methods, that he is starting to speak, that he has received 1st white teeth.