"You have your arms, your legs, everything?" Ukrainian soldier supposedly dies in the war - three years later he calls his family

Three years after his funeral, the Ukrainian soldier Nazar Daletskyi, who was thought to be dead, suddenly contacted his family alive. Even though he had already been buried.

For three years, a Ukrainian family believed their son, brother and cousin was dead. Now the missing soldier Nazar Daletskyi has suddenly returned by phone - alive.

Daletskyi disappeared in May 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian invasion. The then 42-year-old had already served in the army in 2014. "He had no doubts. He left immediately," his cousin told the BBC.

A year later, his fate seemed sealed: A badly burned body was identified as Daletskyi based on a DNA sample, the family buried the body and mourned. But a few days ago, Nazar suddenly called home.

A video shows the emotional moment: "My golden child, I've waited so long for you," says his mother in tears, while his cousin cheers with joy in the background.

The mother reports: "It was so strange, because my son had died, I had buried him, but here was his voice. Can you imagine the feelings of a mother? Happiness. Great happiness. I couldn't hold back my tears."

Case currently under investigation

Daletskyi was apparently only released following a prisoner exchange. Back in September 2025, a former prisoner of war told the family that he had seen Nazar in a Russian prison. Now the suspicion has been confirmed - their son is alive.

Daletskyi is due to return home soon. "You have your arms, your legs, everything?" his mother asked him on the phone. She wants to receive him with his favorite dish.

How the fatal mix-up of bodies could have happened is currently being investigated. For the family, the return is more than a miracle. "I wish all women, mothers and children a phone call like this - and this happiness," says Daletskyi's mother.