Ukraine honors its ‘collector of souls’ killed while recovering the war dead
Thousands gathered at St. Volodymyr Cathedral as mourners honored the Platsdarm founder who said every recovered body deserved a dignified burial.
- On Saturday, August 8, 2026, mourners gathered at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv for the funeral of Oleksiy Yukov, a 40-year-old volunteer killed by a landmine on August 5 during a recovery mission in the Donetsk region.
- Yukov founded the Platsdarm search organization over 27 years ago, becoming a well-known volunteer across Ukraine dedicated to recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers throughout the conflict.
- His unit recovered over 1,500 bodies from dangerous frontlines, and despite losing an eye in a 2022 mine explosion, Yukov returned to the field to continue his recovery work.
- At the funeral, Yukov's widow, Evhenyia Kaluhyna, vowed to continue his mission, telling mourners, "I promise you we will continue it because the dead deserve it."
- Driven by the belief that a body is a "soul waiting to go home," Yukov fought to ensure dignified burials, often stating, "This is how we fight for every soul.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Ukraine Bids Farewell to Oleksii Yukov, Who Recovered the Fallen
On August 8, Ukraine bid farewell to Oleksii Yukov at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in the center of Kyiv and later at Independence Square. Born in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Yukov dedicated most of his life to searching for those killed in war and returning their remains to their families. Before the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014, Yukov searched for the remains of soldiers killed during World War II. Later, together with the Platsda…
Ukraine paid tribute this Saturday to Oleksiy Yukov, a volunteer who spent more than two decades recovering the bodies of civilians and soldiers — many of them Russians...
Kyiv mourns recovery volunteer, whose life 'intertwined with the fallen'
The 40-year-old was killed stepping on a mine during what would be his last mission, his family said, and his remains were brought to Kyiv for a farewell ceremony. "His face was intact. Mum says that the gods gave us this chance to say goodbye to him. And his last words were, 'I'm leaving'," his adopted daughter Diana told AFP. As the rain fell, Yukov's teammates carried his open coffin into the Volodymyrska Cathedral, a 19th century church in c…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
