Ukraine mourns collector of souls Oleksiy Yukov, killed recovering war dead
Thousands in Ukraine mourned humanitarian volunteer Oleksiy Yukov, who dedicated his life to recovering fallen soldiers before being killed by a landmine.
Thousands of mourners gathered in Ukraine to honor Oleksiy Yukov, a dedicated humanitarian volunteer who spent decades recovering the remains of fallen soldiers and civilians from active front lines. According to reporting from NPR, Yukov was killed on Aug. 5, 2026, when he stepped on a landmine during a recovery mission in the eastern Donetsk region.
The loss reverberated across the nation, drawing crowds to emotional farewell services. AP News reported that an Orthodox Christian service took place at the Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr in central Kyiv on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. Mourners also flooded Kyiv's main Maidan Square, dropping to their knees as the casket passed. Before the service in Kyiv, Yukov was mourned and honored in his hometown of Sloviansk in Donetsk province, with memorial services also held in other cities.
Yukov earned the moniker "collector of souls" through his tireless efforts to return the dead to their families. Born in the war-torn Donbas region and working as a martial arts instructor, he began recovering remains as a teenager after encountering World War II battlefield sites. Following the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, he established the search unit Platsdarm, meaning "Bridgehead."
His work was extraordinarily perilous. In 2022, Yukov lost an eye and suffered a severe leg injury in a previous mine blast, yet he returned to the field before fully recovering. Describing the daily dangers, he noted in a social media post:
"Remote mines, shelling, drones — everything is against you. But you go and do everything to ensure that every soul returns home."
Oleksiy Yukov, Platsdarm founder, via AP News
As part of a profile of Yukov, Ukrainska Pravda detailed the rigorous daily routine of Platsdarm volunteers who set off early every morning. According to the reporting, the team would survey safe areas with a drone, checking trenches, craters, shell holes, belongings, and rubbish bins. They would then divide the area into grids and search for mines and explosive devices using probes and metal detectors before calling in bomb disposal experts to neutralize the hazards. Only then would the team carefully search the area for bodies.
Unlike some who argued that enemy combatants should be abandoned, Yukov insisted on recovering Russian soldiers alongside Ukrainian troops and civilians. Months into the full-scale war that began in Feb. 2022, Yukov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Russia had caused tremendous grief, ruined cities, and killed people, yet maintained that volunteers remained human even in those circumstances and would still gather the military dead. When critics suggested leaving opposing soldiers to rot, Yukov rejected the sentiment, stating that such work was how they fought for every soul.
He viewed the mission through a deeply spiritual lens. In an International Emmy Award-winning documentary detailing Platsdarm's work, titled Ukraine's Frontline Sacrifice, he explained that unburied bodies trap wandering souls, declaring that the war itself would not end until the dead were properly mourned and laid to rest. He believed that souls are reborn and that a body remains with the soul until loved ones let it go.
Family members vowed to carry on his mission. At the funeral, his widow, Evhenyia Kaluhyna, promised through tears to continue the exhausting and terrifying labor, speaking over her open casket while wearing an embroidered white dress. His daughter, Diana Kaluhyna, reflected on his legacy in a statement to the press:
She added that he offered more than hope and restored people."What stayed with me today was the simple truth: he honored the dead and healed the living."
Diana Kaluhyna, daughter, via AP News
Key Milestones in Platsdarm's Mission
- Teenage Years: Yukov begins searching for World War II remains in Ukraine.
- 2014: Founds the Platsdarm volunteer search unit following the invasion and annexation of Crimea.
- 2022: Suffers severe leg trauma and loses an eye in a landmine explosion, returning to frontline recovery work shortly after. Also speaks to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty regarding the duty to gather enemy dead.
- Aug. 5, 2026: Killed by a landmine while attempting to exhume a body in the Donetsk region, alongside tributes from friend Serhiy Hnezdilov.
- Aug. 8, 2026: Honored in memorial services across Sloviansk and Kyiv, including a large gathering at St. Volodymyr's Cathedral and Maidan Square.
