Their chaplain, Olexander Chokov, is among the priests associated Virozub
“The new marines mentioned that they’d already been bombed and therefore the newest Moskva cruiser had fired multiple salvos. Exactly what were this new guys doing?” told you Chokov. “That they had absolutely nothing to struggle with, simply machine guns and you may small-arms.
“The newest leader made a decision, got obligation in order to save the latest lifetime of your 80 people who was in fact to your area. They boosted the white banner and surrendered.”
You to night, the fresh Ukrainian prisoners had been transferred to Simferopol airport and loaded on to an Il-76 army routes. Virozub measured regarding 200 someone on board – the brand new Snake Area personnel, brand new Sapphire’s team, and Ukrainian soldiers who have been seized from the Kherson region.
Serhiy www.datingmentor.org/collarspace-review Rylsky, who was responsible for the new lighthouse towards the Serpent Area, remembers the plane landed on the Russian town of Kursk, where in fact the prisoners was basically delivered to good tent camp. Virozub says the camp was at the latest village regarding Shebekino, regarding the Russian edging area for Belgorod. After a week regarding camp, this new inmates had been provided for a beneficial pre-demonstration detention hub around out of Stary Oskol, in Belgorod.
‘Delight give dad home’
It was a question of days up until the basic prisoners was indeed released. Rylsky, the fresh new lighthouse manager, spent 1 month into the Russian captivity, returning family into twenty-four February. He rates you to 31 people, mainly civilians, was indeed traded on that time. The group integrated the brand new team of the Sapphire – although not new priests in addition to doc which adopted her or him.
Olexander Mutichko, older secretary master to the Sapphire, claims they were exchanged into the primarily Russian staff of one’s tanker Millennial Heart, who had been grabbed of the Ukrainian pushes within the later March.
Three days after the replace, Volodymyr Zelenskyi was requested inside a job interview on the past reports one to the fresh defenders out-of Serpent Isle got most of the started murdered. Now, the guy said that only some of them had passed away, and this the others got just returned home.
“Russia came out using this type of offer. We exchanged him or her in place of concern. That’s all. People who died try, in all honesty, heroes. And people who lasted – i traded her or him,” the fresh new president said.
Into the February, following the Zelenskyi’s statement, the latest prisoners’ family relations obtained calls regarding Ukraine’s County Advice Bureau, hence accumulates information regarding captured soldiers.
Two sets of captured troops was basically returned into the exchanges next few days. Bohdan Hotskyi, captain of one’s edging shields, came back home towards the 19 April.
A family doctor as well as 2 of priests who had been toward board the fresh new Sapphire was basically also exchanged when you look at the April. But Virozub, the new priest, was only put out in may, once 68 weeks from inside the captivity.
Predicated on Hotskyi, this new edging guard master, 19 members of their border guard class will still be from inside the captivity up to now.
“I am hoping they are put-out. I ask all of the skilled government locate involved in which process, while they [the brand new defenders] can be found in captivity for over six months,” he said.
Nearest and dearest of your own seized defenders was enjoy in order to Kyiv towards 5 September to generally meet authorities during the Complimentary Headquarters on the Medication out-of Prisoners out of War, which includes total obligations to own Ukrainian POWs. Following the conference, members of the family informed Graty one to 30 marines remained during the captivity – until 29 October, whenever one of them was released through a good prisoner exchange with Russia. Today, 47 Snake Isle workers are inside Russian captivity.
“My personal child and his awesome spouse has just had a baby man. He was 6 months dated whenever his father decided to go to brand new island,” said Tetiana Mykolaivna, mom off marine Olexander Kardashev. “He doesn’t have any idea your kid has taken 1st actions, that he is just starting to cam, which he has experienced 1st teeth.