Ukrainian Serviceman Returns from Russian Captivity, Presumed Dead and Buried for Three Years
Nazar Daletskyi was long considered dead, but on February 5 he returned from captivity as a result of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. This was reported by Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, writes Suspilne.
Nazar Daletskyi. Photo: t.me/kozytskyy_maksym_official
Nazar Daletskyi is from the village of Velyki Doroshiv near Lviv. Even before the start of the full-scale war, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas, and in 2022 he went to defend Ukraine and served in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo.
In May 2022, the man stopped making contact. Initially, Daletskyi was considered missing, and then his family was informed of his death on September 25, 2022 — Nazar's birthday. In 2023, his body was reportedly even buried in his native village after receiving DNA results.
However, in July 2023, one of the released servicemen reported that Nazar was actually alive. This was confirmed by two more servicemen, after which relatives began contacting the coordination headquarters. In October of the same year, another released serviceman confirmed that Nazar was in a penal colony. And now, finally, during the prisoner exchange on February 5, he returned home.
On this day, 157 people returned from Russian captivity to Ukraine — servicemen and civilians. Some of them had been in captivity since 2022, some were sentenced to long terms. According to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, those released are in a difficult psychological state, some are very thin, but all are happy to return home.