Protesters have in the past expressed their frustration over what they say is the government’s poor communication and lack of clarity regarding the fate of relatives who went missing while fighting off Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Every weekend in Kyiv and across other Ukrainian cities, there have been mass demonstrations calling for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war being held in Russia.
Many call specifically for the release of Ukrainian fighters who were captured as they defended the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
These soldiers have been in Russian captivity since Spring 2022.
During his meeting with US President Donald Trump last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy showed him pictures of Ukrainian soldiers before and after Russian captivity.
Russia and Ukraine have carried out POW exchanges since the earliest days of the war, the most recent happened in February.
Ukraine hasn’t made public the number of POWs currently being held by Russia but that number is thought to be over 8,000.
Kyiv said last April that it estimates the total number of missing Ukrainians – both combatants and civilians – numbered almost 37,000 but officials said calculating the exact number is difficult and the figure could be much higher.
In Kyiv, Euronews’ Sasha Vakulina reports that many feel that the world is watching what is happening but not truly seeing it.
