Oleksiy Yukov, 40, a Ukrainian volunteer known as the 'collector of souls,' was killed by a landmine on Aug. 5 while recovering war dead. Thousands attended an Orthodox memorial at Kyiv's Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr to honor him. Yukov founded Platsdarm to ensure every deceased person—including many Russians—received a proper burial and continued the dangerous work even after losing an eye and suffering leg injuries in 2022. He described recovery as a spiritual duty and spoke out against leaving bodies unburied.
Ukraine Honors 'Collector of Souls' Oleksiy Yukov, Killed by Landmine While Recovering War Dead
Priests preside over a farewell ceremony for Oleksiy Yukov, who was fatally wounded while exhuming bodies of killed soldiers in the frontline in Donetsk region, in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine paid tribute on Saturday to Oleksiy Yukov, a volunteer who for more than two decades dedicated himself to recovering the bodies of civilians and combatants killed by war. Yukov, 40, died on Aug. 5 in a landmine explosion during a recovery mission.
Relatives mourn at the coffin of Oleksiy Yukov, who was fatally wounded while exhuming bodies of killed soldiers in the frontline in Donetsk region, during farewell service in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
An Orthodox Christian memorial service at the Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr in central Kyiv drew thousands of mourners who came to honor his work and sacrifice.
Fellow soldiers carry the coffin of Oleksiy Yukov, who was fatally wounded while exhuming bodies of killed soldiers in the frontline in Donetsk region, during farewell service in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Who He Was
Yukov founded Platsdarm ("bridgehead"), an organization that searches for and recovers the dead because he believed every person deserves a proper burial. His commitment to the task earned him the nickname 'collector of souls.' Originally from the war-ravaged Donbas region, he worked as a martial arts instructor and began searching for remains as a teenager after finding the bodies of Soviet and Russian soldiers from World War II.
Priests preside over a farewell ceremony for Oleksiy Yukov, who was fatally wounded while exhuming bodies of killed soldiers in the frontline in Donetsk region, in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The Work and the Risks
Platsdarm volunteers routinely venture into fields, forests, ruined settlements and contested terrain where the ground is often laced with mines. Yukov himself suffered serious injuries in a mine blast in 2022: he lost an eye and sustained leg wounds, but he returned repeatedly to the recovery work despite ongoing recovery from those injuries.
Priests preside over a farewell ceremony for Oleksiy Yukov, who was fatally wounded while exhuming bodies of killed soldiers in the frontline in Donetsk region, in St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
"Remote mines, shelling, drones — everything is against you. But you go and do everything to ensure that every soul returns home," Yukov wrote on social media last month. He also rejected calls to leave enemy dead unburied: "When they say: 'Let them rot,' I do not agree. This is how we fight for every soul."
Yukov often framed the work in spiritual terms, describing a recovered body as a soul waiting to return home. Friends, volunteers and ordinary Ukrainians praised his courage and compassion, calling attention to the human dignity at the center of his mission.
Contribution: Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.
Help us improve.
