Solutions from Ukraine: Mariupol’s hero Mariana Mamonova establishes fund to support female captives

Mariana Mamonova, a military medic who was taken captive by Russia in Mariupol while pregnant, has recently launched her own charitable foundation aimed at assisting women who have also experienced Russian captivity.

Mariana reported that on Instagram.

What is the problem?

Mariana Mamonova is a military medic who has been serving since 2017. She has been stationed in Mariupol since the start of the full-scale war and has been in charge of the medical service for the 501st separate battalion of marines.

After learning about her pregnancy, she had the opportunity to inform her husband. On April 4, she was taken from the Illyich plant. The invaders held the woman in the Olenivka prison before transferring her to a hospital in Donetsk.

In September, Mariana was exchanged, along with 214 other Mariupol defenders, for Viktor Medvedchuk, who is a traitor to Ukraine and. moreover, whose children's godfather is Putin.

Mariana returned home on September 22, and on the night of September 25, she gave birth to a girl.

What is the solution?

"It so happened that in Mariupol, I found out about my pregnancy and was captured by the Russians. My story has a happy ending because I returned home before giving birth.

Now that I have opened my fund, which will help women who survived Russian captivity, I will continue my work on baby boxes for the wives of active soldiers," the woman wrote.

^{Defender of Mariupol Mariana with her daughter and husband}

How does it work?

Even before the fund was founded, the defender handed over baby packages for children whose parents were/are in the military.

Pregnant women in their 9th month or mothers with babies under two months old may apply for a baby box.

In the boxes, Mariana put the necessary things for the first months of the baby's life:

• clothes,
• food,
• hygiene products.

Mariana Mamonova shared that helping women has become not only her job but also her mission.

"For me, these are essential directions because I know how difficult it is for women who have returned from captivity to adapt and live in society. How difficult it is for women whose pregnancy passes in fear and anxiety for their husband and child…

Faith, hope, and love kept me going through those hard times, and I want to pass on that strength and support to others. Let my story be a reflection of the fact that even in the darkest moments, you can find light and hope," the military woman wrote.

For reference:

It should be noted that more than 67,000 women currently serve in the ranks of Ukraine's armed forces, most of whom are military personnel.