Russia Releases Ukrainian Soldier Nazar Daletsky After Family Buried Him as Dead

Russia Releases Ukrainian Soldier Nazar Daletsky After Family Buried Him as Dead

07 February, 20263 sources compared
Ukraine War

Key Points from 3 News Sources

  1. 1

    Family buried Nazar Daletsky in 2023 after he was declared killed in action

  2. 2

    Russian captivity ended when he was released and returned to Ukraine

  3. 3

    Daletsky phoned his mother alive and weakened three years after being buried

Full Analysis Summary

Missing Ukrainian soldier returns

Nazar Daletskyi, a Ukrainian soldier declared missing in May 2022, was reported alive after being released in a 2026 prisoner exchange.

His family had held a funeral after DNA matched a badly burned body thought to be him.

The family recognized him in a photo from the exchange and were notified by the Coordination Headquarters.

blue News reports that video shows the emotional reaction when Nazar called home from Ukrainian soil.

The BBC says the family learned this week that Nazar called from back on Ukrainian soil after three years and nine months.

Букви notes a first prisoner exchange took place in 2026, providing the broader context for his return.

Coverage Differences

Tone and human focus

blue News (Local Western) foregrounds the emotional family reunion and the video of relatives hearing his voice, while BBC (Western Mainstream) combines the human story with procedural details about how the discovery unfolded and the aftermath; Букви (Other) reports the factual context — that a prisoner exchange occurred in 2026 — without the same human-detail emphasis. blue News quotes focus on the reunion and recognition; BBC quotes highlight the timeline and return; Букви provides the exchange fact rather than personal detail.

Narrative scope

BBC situates the return within an ongoing inquiry into how the misidentification occurred, while blue News concentrates on the immediate family notification and reunion; Букви offers a short summary line about the exchange but does not report on an investigation or the emotional reunion in the provided excerpt.

Disappearance and reported sightings

Sources report a consistent timeline: Nazar disappeared in May 2022 after returning to fight.

A badly burned body later matched the family’s DNA, leading to a funeral.

Months later other prisoners reported seeing him alive in detention before his recent release.

The BBC reports that a year after he was declared missing the family were told a badly burned body matched the DNA sample they had provided.

The BBC also says that last September a soldier recently released by Russia phoned to say he had seen Nazar alive in detention.

blue News recounts the family being notified after an exchange photo and then receiving a phone call a few days later.

Букви mentions a 2026 prisoner exchange, placing these developments within the wider exchange process.

Coverage Differences

Detail vs. brevity

BBC (Western Mainstream) provides more step-by-step detail — the DNA match, the later report by a freed soldier, and the family's actions — whereas blue News (Local Western) emphasizes the family's recognition of Nazar in an exchange photo and the emotional return; Букви (Other) is brief and reports the exchange date but omits granular human details in the excerpt.

Source emphasis

blue News emphasizes the family's emotional recognition and reunion video, while BBC emphasizes the investigative and evidentiary thread that led back to the conclusion Nazar was alive; Букви emphasizes the occurrence of the exchange itself in a brief summary.

Misidentification after prisoner exchange

Officials and relatives have already taken immediate steps.

The family is preparing for a reunion and removing his funeral tributes and his photo from a local memorial.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the misidentification that led to him being declared dead.

BBC reports the removal of funeral tributes and a formal inquiry, quoting that authorities have opened an investigation into how the misidentification and the distressing error occurred.

blue News notes the Coordination Headquarters' role in notifying the family after they recognized him in an exchange photo.

Букви's brief summary confirms the occurrence of the first prisoner exchange in 2026 that facilitated such notifications.

Coverage Differences

Focus on accountability

BBC foregrounds accountability and the institutional response (an investigation) to a "distressing error," while blue News places more narrative weight on the Coordination Headquarters’ communication and the family’s emotional steps; Букви provides the exchange context but does not report on the investigation in the excerpt.

Human detail vs. institutional detail

blue News highlights human reactions such as removing funeral tributes and an emotional phone reunion; BBC balances those human details with institutional inquiry language; Букви is mainly factual and concise in the provided excerpt.

Soldier misidentification and fallout

The case highlights uncertainties and the need for clear answers about how the misidentification happened and how long a soldier could be presumed dead while held in detention.

BBC called the mistake a distressing error and reported that an investigation is under way.

blue News documented the human consequences, describing a funeral held after the DNA match and the family's shock at his return, while Букви placed the event within the 2026 exchange without the investigative or emotional detail found in the other accounts.

Taken together, the sources present a consistent core set of facts but differ in depth, tone and institutional versus personal focus, leaving unresolved questions about the misidentification process that authorities say they are investigating.

Coverage Differences

Ambiguity and unresolved questions

BBC (Western Mainstream) explicitly calls it a "distressing error" and reports an investigation; blue News (Local Western) foregrounds the personal shock and reunion footage, and Букви (Other) gives the exchange fact without the same depth — therefore the sources agree on the core facts but differ in how they portray severity and follow-up, and important procedural details remain unclear in the excerpts.

All 3 Sources Compared

BBC

Ukrainian mother's joy after phone call with son she thought had been killed

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blue News

Ukrainian soldier supposedly dies in the war - three years later he calls his family

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Букви

Ukrainian Soldier Nazar Daletsky Returns from Captivity After Being Presumed Dead

Read Original