KYIV, Ukraine 鈥 As Russia and Ukraine trade accusations over this week鈥檚 crash of a Russian military transport plane, one thing is clear: families鈥 fears that future prisoner exchanges may be in danger and loved ones could stay imprisoned.
Even the basic facts are being debated. Russian officials accused Kyiv of shooting down the plane Wednesday and claimed that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board as they headed for a prisoner swap. The Ukrainian side said it had no evidence of POWs and that Russia is just playing with Ukrainians鈥 psyche. It did say, however, that an exchange had been due to take place Wednesday.
Neither side provided evidence for their accusations, leaving the relatives and loved ones in vulnerable states with no answers. Many Ukrainians were already in distress before the incident and had heard nothing from their loved ones in captivity for months.
Yevheniia Synelnyk鈥檚 brother has been in captivity for more than a year and a half. She cried and worried through Wednesday as conflicting items appeared on the news.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 understand which of these is true,鈥 she said.
The next day, exhaustion set in.
鈥淭here is no strength left to shed tears,鈥 she said in a tired voice.
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Synelnyk is also a representative of the Association of Azovstal Defenders鈥 Families, which was created in June of 2022, shortly after about 2,500 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered to Russia on the orders of the Ukrainian president during the siege of the Azovstal steel mill in May. According to the association, around 1,500 fighters from the steel mill remain in captivity. Thousands more taken in other battles also are being held in Russia, Ukrainian officials said.
Yevheniia Synelnyk says relatives鈥 concerns keep growing as returning POWs talk of torture and abuse.
Now, many families fear the exchanges will stop, Synelnyk said. Soldiers who returned usually shared any information they had about other captives with prisoners鈥 relatives. The last time she heard anything about her brother was a year ago.
A 21-year-old former prisoner of war, Illia, who uses the call sign Smurf and didn鈥檛 provide his surname because of security concerns, attends the rallies weekly and tries not to miss any. He feels it鈥檚 the least he can do for those who remain in captivity.
After his return, he went through rehabilitation, yet the echoes of ten months of captivity linger in his daily life. He recently started losing weight and doctors cannot find the reason. He now weighs only 97 pounds.
Illia said he thinks that the incident puts future exchanges in danger, which would dash endless hopes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream of every prisoner of war,鈥 Illia said.
Today in history: Jan. 26
1915: Rocky Mountain National Park
1992: Bill Clinton
1993: Vaclav Havel
1998: Bill Clinton
2005: Train Crash
2009: Nadya Suleman
2012: Penn State
2017: Donald Trump
2020: Kobe Bryant
2022: Amy Schneider
2022: Neil Young
2023: West Bank raid
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