Ukraine honors its ‘collector of souls’ killed while recovering the war dead

Ukraine honored Oleksiy Yukov, a 40-year-old volunteer who dedicated his life to recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers and civilians during the war, on Saturday, August 8, 2026. His funeral service took place at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, where hundreds of people gathered in his memory. Known as the "collector of souls," Yukov founded the Platsdarm organization, which aimed to give proper burials to all the deceased.

Born in the war-torn Donbas region, Yukov had a background in martial arts and began his work as a teenager, searching for the remains of Soviet and Russian soldiers from World War II. The Platsdarm volunteers traversed fields, forests, and ruins, often navigating mined areas and enemy fire, in search of the dead.

Yukov himself suffered leg injuries and lost an eye in a mine explosion in 2022, yet he continued his mission. In a recent social media post, he described the dangers he faced: "Remote mines, shelling, drones — everything is against you. But you go and do everything to ensure that every soul returns home."

Refuting those who suggested leaving Russian bodies unburied, Yukov stated, "When they say: ‘Let them rot,’ I do not agree. This is how we fight for every soul." His unwavering commitment to his cause led him to express his belief that "This is action — action every day in the fields, in the forest belts, among the ruins, where your life can end at any moment."