Ukrainian Mother Reunited With Son Believed Dead
UKRAINE —
A Ukrainian mother, Nataliya, experienced overwhelming joy after receiving a phone call from her son, Nazar Daletskyi, whom she and her family had believed killed in action in 2023.
A Soldier Believed Lost
In 2023, the family buried what they thought was Nazar’s body in their village cemetery in western Ukraine. Nazar, 42, had returned to the front lines in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion, having previously fought in 2014.
But the soldier, weakened and exhausted, called his mother after being released from Russian captivity in the latest prisoner swap.
Emotional Reunion
“My emotions were so strong,” Nataliya told the BBC. The video of their first conversation captures the family’s overwhelming joy. Nataliya asked urgently, “You have your arms, your legs, everything?” She added, “My golden child, I have been waiting for you so long.”
Nazar’s cousin, Roksolana, screamed and jumped for joy in the background. “It was so strange because my son had died, I buried him, but here is his voice. Can you imagine the emotions of a mother? Happiness. Great happiness. I could not hold back my tears,” Nataliya said.
A Year of Uncertainty
Nazar went missing in May 2022. His mother later received a call from a Russian speaker confirming he had been captured but gave no details about his condition or location. A year later, Nataliya was informed that a body had been identified in a morgue in southeastern Ukraine through DNA testing.
The story of Nazar’s return highlights rare moments of hope and joy in a country devastated by war.
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