Families of Missing Defenders Gathered for a Support Campaign
On Vicheva Square, tables are set. But behind them — empty chairs. On the backs — military pixel patterns, nearby — boots. They are missing… Neither among the deceased nor in the lists of captives. Some have been awaited for months, others since February 2022. Defenders who have gone missing, and their loved ones pray every day for any news.
The ‘Missing but Not Forgotten’ Campaign
‘Missing but Not Forgotten’ — a campaign under this name took place today at the Sheptytskyi Center. It gathered families who are waiting. The initiators of the meeting were the public community ‘Living in Waiting’ and the Chervonohrad ‘Warrior’s House’.
Since May 2023, a support group for families of missing defenders ‘Living in Waiting’ has been operating at the ‘Warrior’s House’. On this day, its participants and at the same time assistants — Iryna Romankova, who is waiting for her husband, and Oksana Pustelnyk, whose brother is missing — called on families to reach out to the community and not be alone with their pain.
Support and Hope
Waiting is an extremely difficult trial. During the campaign, families of missing defenders share their own stories and pain. They support each other and believe that each of those they wait for will return home. They ask for just one thing — not to be forgotten. Because as long as searches continue, as long as names are spoken — they are alive.