Ukrainian defender believed dead since 2022 comes home from captivity
Nazar Daletskyi, a Ukrainian serviceman from Lviv Oblast, was brought back from Russian captivity on 5 February. He had long been believed dead, and a funeral service had even been held for him.
Source: Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration; Velykyi Doroshiv district; Kulykiv settlement council of the Lviv district
Quote from Kozytskyi: "A fellow countryman of ours who had long been believed dead is returning from captivity – Nazar Daletskyi, from the village of Velykyi Doroshiv in the Kulykiv hromada. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]
Our fellow countryman took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation. He went to defend the state at the start of the full-scale war." [The ATO or Anti-Terrorist Operation is a term used from 2014 to 2018 by the media, the government of Ukraine and the OSCE to identify combat actions in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts against Russian military forces and pro-Russian separatists – ed.]
Details: Kozytskyi posted a video that shows Nazar's family speaking to him for the first time since he was taken captive.
Kozytskyi said Nazar served in the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after King Danylo.
He was last heard from in May 2022. At first he was listed as missing in action.
Later, Nazar's family was informed that he had been killed in the Kupiansk district in Kharkiv Oblast on 25 September 2022 – his birthday.
But in July 2025 another former prisoner of war reported that Nazar was alive. In August this was confirmed by another soldier, and in October, by a third.
The Velykyi Doroshiv district and the Kulykiv hromada had previously reported Nazar's death.
The hromada even arranged a funeral for him.
Background: On 5 February, a prisoner exchange took place for the first time in five months. Ukraine brought back 157 people who had been held captive by the Kremlin, including both military personnel and civilians.
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