5 Mykolaiv marines were returned home from Russian captivity during the exchange

Mykolaiv marines, screenshot from Vitaly Kim's video

During the exchange, it was possible to return representatives of the Mykolaiv 36 separate brigade of marines named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi from Russian captivity.

Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv RMA, made a video appeal to the people of Mykolaiv public in his Telegram channel.

As you know, today, September 13, Ukraine met 49 of its citizens who returned home after being in captivity.

Judging by the video, five marines returned home.

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«Uncle Kim, or rather, Vitalii Oleksandrovych, we send you greetings from all the marines. Everything will be fine. Glory to Ukraine,» the military said in the video.

Mykolaiv marines of the 36th brigade

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the 36th separate marine brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi defended Mariupol.

From March to May 2022, almost two thousand of its fighters were captured by Russia. Since then, only 287 fighters of this brigade have returned from captivity. 

The human rights organization «Media Initiative for Human Rights» reported that almost 1,300 servicemen from the Mykolaiv 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi are being held captive by the Russian Federation.

In Mykolaiv, townspeople and relatives of servicemen traditionally go to memorial events every Sunday in support of missing prisoners.

Among them are a large number of relatives, wives and children of servicemen of the 36th brigade.

We will also remind that during the first exchange of prisoners from Russian prisons in 2024 , two soldiers of the 36th separate marine brigade were released. A combat medic of the Mykolaiv marines and a soldier of the tank battalion of the brigade, who participated in the defense of the Illich plant, returned home.