In a story that has stunned a war-weary nation, a Ukrainian soldier believed to have been killed and buried nearly two years ago has returned alive after being released from Russian captivity.

Nazar Daletskyi, who went missing during fighting in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion, recently contacted his family after being freed in a prisoner exchange. His return has brought overwhelming joy — and disbelief — to relatives who had mourned his death.

‘I buried my son, yet here was his voice’

Nazar’s mother, Nataliya, told BBC that she had buried a body identified as her son’s in 2023, following DNA testing after remains were recovered from a burned vehicle in south-eastern Ukraine.

“The body was badly burned. They identified it as Nazar,” recalled his cousin Roksolana. The family held a funeral and grieved for more than a year.

That certainty was shattered last September when a soldier released from Russian detention told them Nazar was alive and had been held in prison. Still, without direct contact, the family struggled to believe it.

Their doubts ended this week when Nazar himself called home — weak and exhausted, but alive. A video of the first call captured the family’s raw emotion, as Nataliya repeatedly asked if her son still had his arms and legs.

“It was impossible to understand. My son had died, and yet I heard his voice,” she said.

A symbol of hope amid loss

Nazar, now 45, had previous combat experience from 2014 and returned to the front immediately after the invasion began. He disappeared in May 2022, with only a mysterious phone call suggesting he had been captured.

An investigation is now underway to determine how the fatal misidentification occurred. Meanwhile, the family has removed memorial posts and photographs from public displays in their village.

As Nataliya prepares her son’s favourite food for his return home, the family hopes Nazar’s story will offer hope to others. Ukraine says nearly 70,000 people remain officially missing, many believed to be prisoners of war.

“I wish every mother gets a call like ours,” Nataliya said. “This happiness.”