Ukrainian Woman Searches for Husband Lost in Action Amid Conflict with Russia

When gaunt Ukrainian soldiers dismount from buses as part of prisoner swaps with Russia, Ms. Mariia Pylnyk tries to find out anything she can about her missing husband from the freed men, and hopes, just maybe, that he will be among them.

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CHERNIHIV, Ukraine — When gaunt Ukrainian soldiers dismount from buses as part of prisoner swaps with Russia, Ms. Mariia Pylnyk tries to find out anything she can about her missing husband from the freed men, and hopes, just maybe, that he will be among them.

Holding up a photograph of Mr. Dmytro Pylnyk, who was lost in action in early 2023, she has many questions.

What happened to his unit when it was ambushed by Russian forces? Was he captured by Russia? Could he eventually be released?

The mass prisoner swap in May was an opportunity for people like her to ask troops just out of Russian captivity about missing loved ones who they believe, or simply hope, are prisoners of war. The alternative is unthinkable.

"I hold out great hope that someone has heard something, seen something," Ms. Pylnyk, 29, told Reuters at a recent exchange in May, flanked by other relatives of those missing in action.

"My son and I are waiting for (his) dad to come home. Hope dies last. God willing, it'll all be okay and Dad will come back."

Precise numbers for soldiers missing in action are not made public.

For Ukrainians, and for Russians on the other side of the conflict, it can be hard to find out even basic information. Ms. Pylnyk says she has written to government agencies and Russian authorities and learnt almost nothing.