Creation of a memorial commemorating the tragedy of captivity is planned in the centre of Mykolaiv

A rally in support of prisoners of war and those missing in action in Mykolaiv. Archive photo NikVesti

Plans are underway in Mykolaiv to create a memorial in honour of servicemen who were or remain in Russian captivity. The location has been chosen on the boulevard section of Sadova Street.

This was announced during a live broadcast by Yevhen Poliakov, Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and Chief Architect of Mykolaiv.

According to him, the memorial site, linked to the tragedy of captivity, will be established on the boulevard section of Sadova Street from Spaska Street to Manhaniarivskyi Square («Heart of the City»), with the possibility of expansion.

«We have organised work on creating such a place so that it belongs to them. This is a memorialisation of the memory of the war, of their tragedies, of those people who remained in captivity forever, who were tortured. This is a memory of those who went missing. It is a memorial for those who returned from captivity, ensuring that their deeds, feats and tragedies are not forgotten,» said Yevhen Poliakov.

The chief architect also noted that the work is being carried out in collaboration with the Mykolaiv Military Administration, the families of the servicemen and military units. He added that they had decided to forego an architectural competition so that the families of the servicemen and the servicemen themselves could decide what the memorial would look like.

«We are working with them on their ideas and vision. It has already been formalised to the extent possible; we are now working on the details. Details are very important in this case. The most difficult and most important thing is that no one is forgotten and that the people working on this can answer any questions about why something is there,» he noted.

Yevhen Poliakov explained that meetings are currently held every two weeks to discuss progress. The city’s chief architect did not disclose the project’s cost or its timeline.

«Representatives of military units were also involved in this work, virtually all from Mykolaiv. They have comrades who are being held captive. They were the first to say: We are the officer corps; we want to fund this. This must be done now, not at some point in the future. Because people have been in captivity since 2014,» added Yevhen Poliakov.

It should be recalled that on the eve of Easter, Ukraine and Russia carried out another prisoner exchange. Forty Ukrainian servicemen from the Mykolaiv region returned home.

In addition, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence, stated that Ukraine expects the prisoner exchange to continue between 13 and 19 April.