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.
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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…
For over 25 years, he brought bodies of fallen home: farewell was held in Kyiv for search and recovery specialist Oleksii Yukov. PHOTOS
A funeral service was held at St Vladimir’s Cathedral in the capital for Alexei Yukov – the head and founder of the ‘Platsdarm’ search team, who devoted a quarter of a century to the exhumation, identification and repatriation of fallen soldiers.
Ukraine honours Oleksiy Yukov, volunteer who recovered war dead
Ukraine paid tribute in Kyiv to volunteer Oleksiy Yukov after he was killed in a landmine blast during a recovery mission. His death has renewed attention on the perilous work of retrieving war dead and his belief that every body deserves burial.
The Toronto Star
Washington TimesUkraine honors its ‘collector of souls’ killed while recovering the war dead
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine paid tribute on Saturday to Oleksiy Yukov, a volunteer who spent more than two decades recovering the bodies of civilians and soldiers
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