Ukrainian Soldier Declared Dead Returns Alive After Prisoner Exchange
Nataliia Daletska holds a photograph of her son, Nazar Daletskyi, taken moments after his release from captivity. The image captures a story of loss, mistaken identity, and miraculous return that has captivated Ukraine.
The Funeral and Years of Mourning
In May 2023, Ukrainian officials informed Nataliia that her son Nazar had been killed in action. DNA evidence presented as conclusive led to his remains being buried in their home village of Velykyi Doroshiv, near Lviv. For months, Nataliia visited the grave weekly, initially weeping openly before settling into quiet contemplation of her only son's memory.
Nazar had volunteered for military service during Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. After being turned away twice due to medical issues, he was finally accepted and deployed to the Donbas region during Easter weekend. His daily calls home abruptly stopped after two weeks, replaced by a chilling message from an unknown voice claiming Nazar had been captured.
The Emotional Phone Call That Changed Everything
Nearly three years after the funeral, Nazar was freed in a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Immediately upon crossing into Ukrainian territory, he was handed a mobile phone. The subsequent conversation with his mother was captured in a grainy video that quickly went viral across Ukraine.
"My God, how long I've waited for you, my precious child," Nataliia wailed through tears of shock and joy. "Do you have arms, legs; is everything in place?" The raw emotional power of the moment resonated deeply in a nation desperate for positive news amid ongoing conflict.
A Mother's Exhausting Journey
Between Nazar's capture and his presumed death, Nataliia embarked on what has become a tragically familiar circuit for thousands of Ukrainian families. She shuttled between government offices and non-governmental organizations, filling out endless forms and seeking any information about her son's whereabouts in Russian captivity.
The official notification of Nazar's death came with specific details: he had reportedly died on his 44th birthday in September 2022 when a convoy in Donetsk region came under fire. Though initially skeptical—Nazar was supposed to be in prison, not in a civilian convoy—Nataliia eventually accepted the DNA evidence and arranged for her son's remains to be returned home.
She placed his favorite possessions in the coffin: "I put a tracksuit, a smart jacket and some nice shoes in there with him ... and I gave him something to eat. I thought the poor boy was being held prisoner, he was probably hungry. I put biscuits, chocolates, things like that."
The Mystery of the Misidentified Remains
One enduring question remains: whose remains were incorrectly identified as Nazar's? After his reappearance, the buried remains were exhumed and sent for additional testing, with results expected in coming weeks. Somewhere, another Ukrainian family may soon receive devastating news about their missing relative.
In the Velykyi Doroshiv cemetery, the earth where Nazar's grave once stood remains freshly churned. Nearby lies the splintered wooden cross that marked the site, alongside a metal board painted in Ukrainian colors bearing the slogan: "Heroes do not die."
Rehabilitation and Anticipated Reunion
A month after his release, Nazar remains in a rehabilitation center in another Ukrainian region, recovering from his ordeal. Though he has alluded to frequent beatings during captivity—consistent with reports from other Ukrainian prisoners of war—he avoids dwelling on the details during daily video calls with his mother.
"His legs hurt a lot and he is always hearing noises. But he's OK in his head, I can see that when I talk to him," Nataliia reports.
She eagerly prepares for his homecoming, planning to cook his favorite meals: milky zatyrka soup, stuffed cabbage leaves, and potato pancakes. "I tell him: 'As soon as you get back, I'm going to hug you just as tightly as you hugged me back then.'"
The family's story represents both extraordinary fortune and ongoing tragedy in Ukraine's conflict—a miraculous return that highlights both the resilience of families and the bureaucratic complexities of wartime identification.
