Lina from Crimea<p>Yesterday, on the day of Oraza Bayram, at the <a href="https://twiukraine.com/tags/FreeAzov" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FreeAzov</span></a> rally I held a sign that read "We are waiting for them" in Crimean Tatar and English. It was dedicated to Ernest Baranov, a <a href="https://twiukraine.com/tags/CrimeanTatar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CrimeanTatar</span></a> soldier from the 503rd Marine Battalion. He has been missing for nearly three years, but his parents still believe he is in captivity.</p><p>Many <a href="https://twiukraine.com/tags/CrimeanTatars" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CrimeanTatars</span></a> have been fighting in Ukraine’s Armed Forces since the war began in 2014, and many more joined in 2022. For safety reasons we don’t know all their names, but that doesn’t stop us from believing with all our hearts in their return and praying for their lives. We are waiting for our defenders, and we remember our heroes — both those who are still with us and those who have fallen.</p>