Relatives of Ukrainian soldier, presumed dead but returned from captivity, obligated to return 300 thousand euros in burial payments

Nazar Daletsky hails from the village of Velyki Doroshiv, near Lviv. He is a participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donbas. With the start of the full-scale war in March 2022, the man again went to defend Ukraine. He served in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo.

As his mother recalls, at first she talked to her son on the phone every day, but in May 2022, he stopped making contact.

"On Saturday, he called me from an unfamiliar number. He said: 'Mom, they're shooting so hard you can't even stick your head out of the trench.' On Sunday, he didn't make contact. I waited all day, and then late in the evening, the phone rang. I grabbed the receiver: 'Nazarchyk!' And then some Muscovite [a derogatory term for a Russian] was there: 'Your son is in captivity, he's fine.' I asked: 'Who are you?' I thought some commander was calling to inform me he'd been captured. He said: 'I'm the one who captured him.' That was it. No more information was given to us," the mother told journalists.

According to the woman, the soldier was initially considered missing in action. Later, the family was informed that Nazar had died in the Kupyansk district of Kharkiv Oblast on September 25, 2022 — precisely on his birthday.

In May 2023, after identification based on DNA analysis, the body, which was recognized as Nazar's remains, was brought from Dnipro and buried in the cemetery in his native village.

"They said they were being transported somewhere, a bus burned down, and allegedly, DNA results showed it was my son. I replied: 'What if it's not him?' They told me: 'If you don't want to, we'll bury him there.' I said: 'How can that be — the DNA matched, and you'll bury my son there? So bring him here,'" the mother recalls the conversation that took place in May 2023.

The woman's words are confirmed by her niece, Nazar's cousin Roksolana Makohin:

"From Dnipro, they called my aunt — the investigator said your son had died, we have a 99.9% DNA match. I noted: 'He was supposed to be in captivity, and you say he died.' She replied: 'Life happens differently: maybe they were being transported somewhere. The body has been in the morgue for half a year already.'"

Павялічыць

The mother regularly visited her son's grave: planted flowers, took care of it. Although, according to her, doubts constantly tormented her, as she had not seen the body itself.

"Even at the funeral, people told me: 'What if it's not him?' I replied: if I start thinking like that, I'll just go crazy," the woman recalls.

Due to her son's death, the family received a one-time financial aid — 15 million hryvnias (approximately 292 thousand euros at the current exchange rate). Until September 1, 2025, this amount was paid in a single installment. Then the procedure was changed to phased payments: the first tranche — 3 million hryvnias, the rest — 150 thousand over six and a half years.

In July 2025, one of the soldiers released from captivity reported that Nazar was actually alive. Two more fighters confirmed this, after which relatives began to contact the coordination headquarters. The memorial plaque was removed from the grave, and efforts began to find the relatives of the person buried under Nazar's name.

Nazar himself returned home on February 5 this year during a prisoner exchange.

The soldier's story gained wide resonance. Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Leonid Tymchenko, personally went to Kharkiv, where the examination was conducted.

"We understand that this is a high-profile and unacceptable case, as such errors should not occur. We will meticulously study this situation, retrieve all examinations, including samples taken from the mother and the remains for comparison," Ukrainian media quote the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Nazar's relatives, in turn, insist on exhumation so that the unknown hero can return to their true family.

"Since September [2025], we have been in contact with the Luhansk prosecutor's office (where the case is located), with Dnipro, where the body was, and with the police. We want a reburial to take place. This is someone's loved one, someone's relative. I think if they conduct the exhumation — permission has already been given — then perhaps we will get more accurate information," Nazar's cousin Roksolana told journalists.

Павялічыць

Nazar is now under medical supervision — he is severely emaciated from captivity and torture. When asked what he missed most, the man answers briefly: "Freedom."

And on February 10, it became known that Nazar's family would have to return the compensation received from the state. This was reported by Taras Podvirnyi, the ombudsman's representative in Lviv Oblast.

"The legal point is that the family must return the funds that the state paid as a one-time financial aid for the death of a serviceman. This legal precedent will be resolved. They will look for those responsible — who made a mistake and how, because we understand that DNA expertise is extremely accurate," said Taras Podvirnyi.

He also noted: "I think for the family, the greatest happiness is that the serviceman returned home, not in the funds that the state paid them."

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