Soldier Buried in 2023 Returns Alive from Captivity

For the family of Ukrainian soldier Nazar Dalitskyi, the grieving process had concluded long ago. Convinced that he had fallen in battle, his relatives held a solemn funeral in 2023, interring what they believed to be his remains in a village cemetery in Western Ukraine. Yet, in a turn of events that defies the bleak reality of war, Nazar’s mother, Nataliia, received a phone call this week that changed everything: her son was alive.

A Miracle Amidst the Fog of War

Nazar, a 42-year-old veteran who first saw combat in 2014, reenlisted immediately when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. By May of that year, he had vanished during the chaotic fighting at the front. For months, the family lived in a state of agonizing limbo, exacerbated by a mysterious phone call from a Russian-speaking stranger claiming Nazar was “safe in captivity.”

However, with no official confirmation, the hope of the Dalitskyi family eventually faded. A year into his disappearance, Ukrainian authorities informed Nataliia that a DNA match had been found. The remains—recovered from a burnt-out bus in south-eastern Ukraine—were so badly charred that visual identification was impossible. Relying on the forensic report, the family accepted the “body,” buried it with full military honours, and added Nazar’s portrait to the village memorial of fallen heroes.

Timeline of a Resurrection

The Call That Changed Everything

The silence was finally broken this week following a major prisoner-of-war (POW) exchange. After three years and nine months in the brutal conditions of a Russian prison camp, Nazar called home.

“I was in a trance,” Nataliia told the BBC, describing the moment she heard his voice. The emotional weight of the call was captured in a viral video, showing Nazar’s cousin, Roksolana, screaming with joy and leaping into the air. In the recording, a tearful Nataliia can be heard frantically asking, “Are your arms and legs okay? My golden boy, I have waited so long for you.”

Aftermath and Investigation

The family is now in a frantic race to erase the painful remnants of their mourning. They are scrubbing social media posts of his funeral announcements and have removed his photograph from the village’s “Gallery of Fallen Heroes” to ensure he is not distressed upon his return.

While an official investigation is underway to determine how the forensic DNA match resulted in such a catastrophic error, the family is focused solely on the reunion. Nataliia is already preparing Nazar’s favourite home-cooked meals.

With approximately 70,000 Ukrainians officially listed as missing, many of whom are presumed dead on inaccessible battlefields, Nazar’s story has become a rare beacon of hope. For thousands of mothers still waiting by the phone, his “resurrection” serves as a reminder that in the fog of war, the final word is not always written in stone.