Death record of a servicemember annulled

On February 5, 2026, Ukrainian servicemember Nazar returned from enemy captivity. For a long time, he had been presumed dead based on DNA analysis. In 2023, a body identified as his was buried.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, on February 27, 2022, Nazar was mobilized and served in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo. On May 15, while carrying out a combat mission in the Luhansk region, he was captured. After his release, he discovered that he had been officially declared deceased.

As a result, the servicemember was unable to restore his passport, banking, and other documents, or to exercise his social rights and guarantees, as he was legally considered deceased.

It was necessary to annul the civil status record of death issued by the local council. Nazar filed a corresponding application with the court. The issue was coordinated by the Central Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Support was provided by Olena Bieliachkova, Advisor to the Military Ombudsman. She prepared the court application, explained the procedure for its submission together with supporting documents, monitored the Unified State Register of Court Decisions regarding the initiation of proceedings, prepared a statement requesting consideration of the case in the servicemember’s absence and confirming support of the claims, and monitored the progress of the case and the court’s decision.

On March 27, the court ruled to annul the death record of the soldier and ordered the local council to update the State Register of Civil Status Acts accordingly.

“We expect that within a month, once the court’s decision enters into force, the process of restoring the documents will begin” said Olena Bieliachkova.