Nazar Daletskyi's Homecoming
Ukrainian soldier Nazar Daletskyi, long believed to be dead, has returned to his home village of Velykyi Doroshiv in the Lviv region after being freed from Russian captivity. His release was secured through a prisoner exchange that took place on February 5. Daletskyi, who served in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, had been officially listed as killed in action since September 2022, a devastating loss for his family and community. The ongoing war has seen thousands of Ukrainian soldiers go missing, with their families enduring years of agonizing uncertainty.
Back home, his family had endured immense grief, having accepted his loss as permanent.
"It was very difficult; we didn't know how to tell his mother because she had just gone through the funeral and had only barely begun to accept the loss. We were afraid it might not be true, afraid of traumatizing her again. It is an immense joy that Nazar is alive. We waited,"said his mother, Halyna.
A Community's Joy and a Symbol of Hope
The joy of Nazar's return was shared by his fellow villagers. Khrystyna Pashkevych, the village leader, stated:
"Our village leader informed us that Nazar was due to arrive today. We are extremely happy for him and for his family. We wish more families waiting for their sons and fathers could receive such news."
This case is not isolated, as other soldiers presumed dead have later been found alive in captivity. For instance, a funeral for soldier Bohdan Vovk was held on May 23, 2025, in the village of Humenets in the Lviv region, after which relatives saw a video showing him in Russian captivity. Separately, Olha Piroh from Bukovyna discovered the whereabouts of her husband, who went missing on the front in 2023, a year and a half later by recognizing him in a video from a Russian prison camp.
Nazar Daletskyi's homecoming stands as a powerful symbol of hope for the many families still awaiting news of their loved ones from the front lines.
His return underscores the critical importance of prisoner exchanges in this conflict, where countless families face profound uncertainty. It also demonstrates that even under the most dire circumstances, hope for reunion persists, offering a source of strength to other families enduring similar hardships. Such cases can galvanize further efforts to repatriate captured military personnel and raise public awareness of their fates within Ukrainian society.