Wives of Azov defenders in Russian captivity speak to their husbands for first time in two years – photos
Three wives of captured Azov defenders who were injured in the terrorist attack on the Olenivka prison camp in July 2022 have been able to talk to their husbands for the first time in a very long time.
Source: hromadske
Details: Anna Lobova, Anastasiia Hondiul and Mariia Alieksieievych gathered for a briefing to discuss the brief calls and to ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help bring their husbands home.
The women said the Telegram video calls from their husbands had taken them by surprise. None of them had received any information about possible contact or Russian intentions to offer it.
It later turned out that Russian propagandists taped all the calls without the knowledge of Anna, Anastasiia or Mariia and posted them on YouTube.
The footage shows a few minutes of conversation between the captive Azov Brigade defenders and their wives. Each of the exhausted men addressed the President of Ukraine and begged to be exchanged.
The Azov defenders did not reveal their whereabouts during the brief phone calls, but they told their wives they loved them and said they were "in good health" despite having been injured in the explosion in Olenivka.
"That was the first time I’d seen my husband in 26 months," said Mariia Alieksieievych. "It was barely a minute, but I realised he still cares about Ukraine and believes he is not forgotten. He turns 30 on 10 August. I don’t want him to spend that day in Russian captivity. Please exchange my husband so we can embrace at last."
Anna, Anastasiia and Mariia founded the Olenivka Families Community, and they continue to take part in protests calling for the release of prisoners of the Kremlin regime. The women found the courage to share information about the calls with their husbands in the hope that it will speed up their exchange.
On 26 July, the families of those killed and injured in the terrorist attack on Olenivka, as well as current Azov fighters, made an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and the president.
They urged the authorities to pass draft resolution No. 101088, which would establish a day of remembrance for defenders and members of volunteer groups who have been executed, tortured or killed in Russian captivity.
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