Nazar Daletskyi's family were sure the soldier had been killed in action. In 2023, they'd buried his body in the village cemetery, in western Ukraine. But Nazar has just phoned his mother, weakened and exhausted - but very much alive. He's been released from Russian captivity in the latest prisoner swap.
My emotions were so strong, the soldier's mother Nataliya told the BBC, still reeling from the shock. The joy of all the family at that first call, captured on video, is overwhelming. Nataliya asks her son whether he's intact, You have your arms, your legs, everything? she wants to know. My golden child, I have been waiting for you so long. Nazar's cousin, Roksolana, is screaming and jumping for joy in the background.
It was so strange, because my son had died, I buried him, but here's his voice. Can you imagine the emotions of a mother? Happiness. Great happiness. I could not hold back my tears, Nataliya said.
The full story of Nazar's return from the grave is extraordinary, especially in a country at war where good news is precious. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Nazar - who was 42 then - went straight back to the front: he'd already fought in 2014, so he was experienced.
But in May that first year, Nazar went missing in action. His mother then got a call from a man speaking Russian who said Nazar had been captured, but everything will be fine. However, the mystery voice didn't provide details of his location or condition, leaving the family uncertain of his fate.
A year later, Nataliya was informed that a body had been identified in a morgue in southern Ukraine using a sample of DNA she had provided. The body was identified as Nazar's, leaving the family to grieve.
Then last September, the family received shocking news from a soldier, recently released by Russia, who claimed to have seen Nazar alive in captivity. Initially skeptical, the family could not believe they might have been misled, but still hoped for a positive outcome.
Finally, this week, Nazar called home. Nataliya's son had been gone for three years and nine months. Now, as they prepare for his return, the family is trying to remove material about Nazar's funeral from social media to avoid hurting him.
In light of this miraculous reunion, investigations are underway to clarify how the tragic mix-up occurred. I just want more positive outcomes like ours, for other families to get calls and for people to come home, Roksolana expressed.
Nazar’s story illuminates the hope that still exists in conflicted areas, where thousands are still unaccounted for, most believed to be soldiers. I wish all women, mothers, children get a call like we had - and this happiness, Nataliya concludes, eagerly awaiting her son's return home.
