Marine from Mariupol returns from captivity: the story of Juan Alberto Leiva Garcia.

The defender from Mariupol, Marine Juan Alberto Leiva Garcia, has returned from enemy captivity. The serviceman's family spent over 3 years trying to secure his release by participating in numerous rallies, and they finally succeeded.

This was reported by Juan Alberto Leiva Garcia's sister, Lyudmila Leiva Garcia, on social media.

Juan Alberto Leiva Garcia was born in Mariupol to a mixed family of a Cuban father and a Ukrainian mother. In 2008, they moved to Odessa, where the future defender studied architecture.

In 2018, Juan decided to become a military man and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the fighting for Mariupol, he defended 'Azovstal', but in May 2022, he was captured by the Russians during the evacuation from the destroyed city.

All this time, his relatives did everything possible to bring Juan back, and in the exchange on August 14, the defender was released.

Exchange on August 14

During the exchange on August 14, it was possible to return 33 military personnel from the Navy and the Border Guard Service (including 10 officers) and 51 civilian Ukrainians. The youngest released is 26 years old, while the oldest is 74, who spent seven years in a Russian prison.

We remind you that recently, there was support for prisoners of war in Odessa. There was also the return of other defenders from captivity.