On Ukraine’s battlefields, this group respects fallen soldiers – no matter which side
Oleksii Yukov ventures into Ukraine’s battle zones in a camouflaged vehicle with a singular mission: to make sure respect is shown to the fallen, regardless of whether they were Russian or Ukrainian.
While the warring forces tear up the bucolic landscape, he and his team, Platsdarm, collect the remains of those killed in combat. Deceased Russians are eventually returned to their nation, while Ukrainians go back to their families for mourning.
“We all are human beings,” says Mr. Yukov. “We do not differentiate between Russians and Ukrainians in the way we treat them. If Russians saw how we treat their dead soldiers, this war would probably end tomorrow.”
It’s fraught, difficult work, but vital for families on
