Three months pregnant, Maryana Mamonova was serving as a military medic in Mariupol when she was detained by the Russian military in early April. The woman was taken to the Olenivka POW camp in the separatist region of Donetsk. At the eighth month of pregnancy, Mariana has not yet been released, and the family fears that the child will end up in prison.
Thanks to a Russian propaganda video posted on social media, the family learned that Mariana had been captured. A video purportedly released by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov shows several surrendered Ukrainian soldiers. Among the faces that appeared in the pictures, they immediately recognized Marianne. They immediately approached the Ukrainian government for information on her condition, asking for her release as part of a prisoner exchange before the baby was born.
“The exchange of prisoners continues, but I can’t understand why Mariana isn’t one of them.” said the husband BBC. Vasily found out about the woman’s pregnancy only when she was already on the front line and has not seen his wife since. The couple is expecting their first child, due at the end of September.
The family knows little about Mariana’s health condition. The Ukrainian government said only that everything was fine with it and that “special attention” was riveted to the case. Vasily is most worried about the fact that the child will be taken away from the mother after birth if she is not released on time. “A child cannot be kept in such conditions, therefore they can just take it off“, he explained.
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The mother and her children are sacred everywhere… Release her. As a people, let it go. She is a good person, she is like a small bright sun.”
The concern is shared by Anna Vorosheva, a Ukrainian woman released in June, who met Mariana while she was in Olenevskaya prison. It reminds the BBC of how the prisoners were kept in a room with about twenty people, most of whom slept on the floor. All the women helped the doctor when they found out about the pregnancy, and once she was moved to a room with fewer people, they made sure that she could sleep in one of the two beds.
According to Vorosheva, Maryana initially optimistic about the exchange of prisoners. But over time, she became increasingly concerned about the possibility of childbirth in prison. “Hospitals and institutions in Donetsk are completely cut off from the medical community. Everything is in decline. It’s scary to have a child there,” he said.
Mariana’s family has waited months for developments in the case, but as the moment of childbirth approaches, they decide to share the story. They also created a petition asking for his release.
The Olenivka POW camp has been under the control of pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk since 2014. At the end of July, an explosion took place in the prison, as a result of which 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed. Moscow and Kyiv exchange accusations in the case and initiated an investigation to establish responsibility.
Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of attacking a prison and killing dozens of prisoners
At the request of both Russia and Ukraine, the United Nations announced the opening of an investigation to establish the “truth” about the attack. Three experts have already been appointed, but it is still unknown when the mission will begin. The goal is to collect evidence to find out what happened, despite the fact that the UN does not have the authority to bring criminal charges against those responsible.