Today, July 28, Ukraine marks for the first time the Day of Remembrance for the Defenders of Ukraine, members of volunteer formations, and civilians who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity.
On this day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the team working to secure the release of prisoners and provide them with support, as well as with servicemembers and civilians who had been freed from captivity, including Azov fighters and defenders of Mariupol, and those who survived the Russian terrorist act in Olenivka on the night of July 29, 2022.
Attending the meeting were: Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov; Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko; Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk; Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets; Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Dmytro Usov; the team of the President’s Office; servicemembers Viacheslav Danilets, Viktor Kuzmin, Andrii Kuzmin, Kyrylo Masalitin, and Oleksandr Verenhotov; Heroes of Ukraine Serhii Volynskyi and Denys Prokopenko; Mykola Hrytseniak, Kostiantyn Myrhorodskyi, Artem Dyblenko; border guards Maksym Shapovalov and Mykola Korol; military medics Halyna Hrytseniak and Dmytro Seliutin; paramedic Yuliia Paievska; and Crimean Tatar civilian Leniie Umerova, who was captured by the occupiers in Crimea.
“It is very important that our children, our present generation, and our future – that no one forgets this day. Starting today, July 28, we will observe a day of great significance for the history of the struggle for Ukraine. It will be dedicated to all our warriors and civilians who were tortured behind bars in Russia, in camps, and on our homeland’s territory – in those areas that are occupied by the enemy for now,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President called for the meeting to begin with a moment of silence in memory of all tortured Ukrainians.
The Head of State thanked the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the negotiation team, partners, and everyone helping secure the release of Ukrainians from Russian captivity. He expressed special gratitude to the warriors who replenish the exchange fund.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 66 exchanges have already taken place, resulting in the return of 5,857 people. An additional 555 Ukrainians were released outside the exchange process.
“Unfortunately, not all have returned home yet – but we will keep fighting. I want to thank you for your work and your struggle, for standing up for each and every one of those still in captivity. In Olenivka alone, according to our data, around 80 of our warriors remain imprisoned. We will definitely bring everyone back,” the President emphasized.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the necessary efforts to secure the release of all Ukrainians from Russian captivity, the progress of the criminal investigation into the Olenivka terrorist act, engagement with the families of prisoners, support for those released from Russian camps, the repatriation of bodies, and measures to accelerate the identification of the deceased.
Those freed from captivity thanked the entire Ukrainian team involved in the exchanges for bringing them home and for their ongoing efforts to free all Ukrainians from Russian captivity.
“I’m also very grateful that July 28 has now been designated at the national level as a day of remembrance for all those who were tortured, killed, or died in captivity. This matters, because it lays bare the true face of the enemy… I believe this is the right step – above all, for our cultural memory, so that we remember every single one of them,” said Denys Prokopenko.
Those released from captivity also stressed the need to improve the medical examination and treatment system, enhance the process of compiling exchange lists, and update the register of Ukrainian civilians detained by the Russian Federation.
The President tasked the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and the Minister of Defense with reviewing these matters and preparing proposals to resolve them.