“Russia is hiding them.” How are the missing in Krinki returning from captivity?

 

The initiative unites the families of soldiers who went missing during the Ukrainian command’s attempt to launch an offensive in the Left Bank of the Kherson region. In an interview, Rudenko spoke in more detail about how the soldiers’ relatives are gathering information and supporting those who have already been returned.

 

“We were united by grief”

 

On June 24, 2024, Lydia Rudenko received a notification: her husband Serhiy had disappeared while performing a combat mission near the village of Krynki in the Left-Bank Kherson region.

“We were all united by the grief associated with Krinki. My husband disappeared, and from that day on, active searches began, which later led to the creation of our organization. My husband went to volunteer service from the first days of the war. At first, he was assigned to the airborne troops, later to the aviation. Later, he was transferred to the marines and disappeared.

According to this woman, the first attempts at searching were posts on Facebook and appeals to fellow citizens. Later, women who had relatives who had disappeared in Krinki began to unite.

“We united in a Viber community, searched for each other on Facebook, placed ads, shared information, because, unfortunately, no one else provided us with any information. Everything we have, we found ourselves or through fellow citizens who were concerned about our grief and could share information with us.”

Initially, the community had more than 700 members, but it quickly became clear that a narrow circle of active and willing participants was needed, says the interlocutor.

“The guys disappeared every day, and we united. Later we created a closed WhatsApp group, where we were accepted after checking our documents and reporting the disappearance. The main condition is that you are active, able to go out into the cold, frost, heat, rain and snow, be on the Maidan with a flag, implement some ideas.” Over time, it

became clear that public organizations have more possibilities than the usual unification of families. Then the women decided to act on a more official level.  

 

“By hiring a good lawyer, we created a public organization and now we can officially resolve a number of issues, problems, talk about our relatives and conduct searches. We called ourselves “Krinki. The Way Home”. This is very symbolic, because at the time of the organization’s founding (January 27, 2025 – ed.) we did not have a single soldier from the Krinki direction released from captivity. And we realized that we would not find a better name than “Krinki. The Way Home”. It was time to return our boys”.

 

“To be known and heard about in every city”

 

Today, the non-governmental organization “Krinki. The Way Home” has 200 of the most active women. They search for missing relatives, send requests to state structures and organize information campaigns, says Lidija.

“We are sending mass appeals to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and other countries that are involved in negotiations on the return of our relatives home. We are also implementing several social projects. For example, “Cups to Every City” – we are putting up a banner in every city of Ukraine. We want our boys to see that they are being talked about in every city when they return home. The banners are already in Odessa, Kyiv, Novovolynsk, Poltava and Vinnytsia.

The first independent action was organized by women's associations in August 2024 in Kyiv on Independence Square. Later, the relatives decided that the action should not only be expanded, but also specified.

It was a very large, grand action, but it, as it seemed to us then, did not carry anything so characteristic that could testify about Krinka. And already in the winter we organized an action in Vinnytsia with an installation of the missing. These were chairs and things of our relatives. We wanted to have one and the same image that will be remembered - a boat in the Dnieper River and the red inscription "Krinki" on its background. Of our two thousand missing persons, only six bodies have ever been returned. That's an extremely small number. We understood: we have to speak louder", emphasizes Lidija.

After the action in Vinica, the organization "Krynki. Put kuci" began to expand its presence, in particular they held an action at the railway station in Odesa.

 

Return of 11 soldiers at once

 

Publicity helped, Lidiya Rudenko is sure. The more actively the press wrote about the organization, the more information about the missing soldiers appeared among relatives.

“First they returned three men at once. That was the most at that time, because they usually returned one prisoner at a time. And then they returned three prisoners at once,” Lidiya points out.

On July 23, an event occurred that the head of the organization describes as her greatest joy and pride. 11 Ukrainian soldiers - participants in the battles for Krynki - were returned from Russian captivity at once.

“This is a huge victory. Not only our victory, this is a great feat of our state, this is the work of everyone involved in the exchange of information. This is truly titanic work. We are grateful that we were heard and will soon greet our heroes when the quarantine is over. We are endlessly waiting for this time when we will hug everyone and tell everyone how we fought for them, how this journey unfolded and how it ended,” Lidiya points out.

 

“Most of those listed as missing are actually alive”

 

The organization does not stop searching, says Lidiya Rudenko. The participants are constantly in hospitals. In particular, where those released from captivity are undergoing rehabilitation.

“Just a few weeks ago, one of the released recognized our young man. He disappeared back in March 2024, for a long time everyone believed that he had died. His brothers said that he probably did not survive. Even his mother was already starting to lose faith. But then this news appeared,” says Lidiya.

Another story is the exchange on July 23, during which one of the defenders who participated in the operation in Krynki returned home. He was also asked: had he seen the others, or heard anything about them?

“And although he didn’t see anyone, because of the cell-type of detention – he said he heard: there are many Ukrainian defenders from Krinki in captivity. This is important. Because there are few officially confirmed prisoners among them. So, most of those who are listed as missing are actually alive. And this inspires us even more: to search in a way that has not been searched before. To develop new algorithms, new actions, new methods. Because we have no right to stop. This is the elite, this is the Marine Corps, these are brave people, each of them is simply worthy of the Hero of Ukraine,” says Lydia.

 

“Prisons that no one has even heard of”

 

With each exchange, according to Lydia Rudenko, it becomes clear: many more Ukrainian defenders are being held in Russian captivity than are officially confirmed.

 

"At first we thought: maybe 20 percent of the missing are alive. But over time we saw - there are many more. The enemy has this tactic: don't confirm, don't acknowledge, hide. They are taking them deep into Russia, to prisons that no one has even heard of. And those who are

starting to return are mostly those who were detained in the occupied regions, where the Red Cross has access. That's why they don't recognize our people yet. But when they start returning from those distant colonies, they will recognize ours as well people and those who disappeared even earlier," says Lidija.

Lidija is convinced that her husband is also alive, that he is in Russian captivity.

"I want him to know: I am looking for him. I love him endlessly. He is my air. And when he disappeared, I stopped breathing. But when he comes back, we will start breathing together again," Lidia is convinced.