On May 20, symbolic reserve signs for Ukrainian prisoners of war appeared in many establishments in Kyiv and other cities. The all-Ukrainian action Still in captivity is organized by Rinat Akhmetov’s project “Heart of Azovstal”, which provides support to the defenders of Mariupol and their families. The project website reported this.
The event has been held in this format for the second year in a row, the organizers noted. The campaign is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the completion of the defense of Mariupol. It was on May 20, 2022 that the last defenders of the city, by order of senior management, left the Azovstal plant and were captured.
“For four years now, more than 2 thousand defenders of Mariupol have been in Russian captivity. Like last year, today Ukrainian companies supported us to draw attention to this topic and show that we are all waiting together for the return of our defenders,” said Tatyana Maltseva, director of the Heart of Azovstal.
More than 40 Ukrainian brands joined the campaign, including TSUM Kyiv, Multiplex, Teahouse, Goodwine, Egersund, Fresh&Go, OneLove, Nasha, Cheesecake Family, 1Coffee, MilkBar and others. In their premises they create a symbolic “reserve for a hero” and leave free space for the defender of Mariupol, who is still in captivity.
“We, as a responsible business, are always ready and happy to join such initiatives. This year, as in the past, we, TSUM Kyiv, our partners, food court establishments, a cinema operating in a department store – everyone joined the Still in captivity campaign as a sign of solidarity with our heroes, prisoners of war,” noted TSUM Kyiv Marketing Director Konstantin Putilenko.
