Oksana Maricheva, a shop owner originally from Pokrovsk, commemorates the deaths of her two sons who were Ukrainian soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. Her experience highlights the broader challenges faced by families of fallen servicemen amid a war that remains entrenched despite years of fighting.

Serhiy Kulyk, a soldier from the 12th Azov brigade, died on August 29, 2023, during combat in the Serebryansky forest when a 120mm heavy mortar round struck his position. Identification of his body required months and multiple DNA tests due to the severity of his injuries, and his burial took place in February 2024 with his family and comrades present. Meanwhile, Maricheva’s other sons also lost their lives: Dmytro, aged 26, was killed in the first days of the invasion but his body was delayed in return by Russian authorities; his younger brother, Mykhailo, 20, died in May 2024 during a failed operation aimed at securing a position on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

By September 2024, Russian forces had advanced to the outskirts of Pokrovsk, a former mining town with a prewar population of approximately 60,000. Local authorities imposed a strict curfew from 3 p.m. to 11 a.m. and called for evacuations as drone warfare intensified. Both sides employed increasingly sophisticated and numerous drones, with Ukrainian drones contributing to slowing Russian advances, while Russian drones transformed urban areas into battle zones ahead of troop movements.

During a rescue mission at the cemetery in Pokrovsk a few months after Mykhailo’s death, soldiers including Kipiani of the Khartia unit documented the graves, fearing they might be destroyed amid the advancing conflict. Maricheva later sought to exhume and rebury her sons closer to where she had relocated in Kyiv, collecting necessary documents such as death certificates and burial permits. However, the Donetsk military administration deemed exhumations in Pokrovsk impossible due to the ongoing threat of Russian drones. Eventually, officials informed her it was too late to carry out the reburials.

The war’s human cost remains high and uncertain, with estimates suggesting up to 150,000 Ukrainian soldier fatalities since 2022, while Russian losses may be around 450,000. Despite persistent drone warfare pushing combat beyond frontlines, Russia’s territorial gains have been slow, controlling roughly 19 percent of Ukraine compared to about 7 percent before the full-scale invasion began.

As fighting continues, some families remain caught in limbo over the resting places of their loved ones. Mykola and Natalia Kulyk, Serhiy’s parents, eventually left their home city of Kramatorsk in early 2025 and resettled in Iziaslav, fearing escalating drone strikes and missile attacks on industrial sites common in their native region.

In early 2026, Ukrainian authorities began formalizing a process to allow for the reburial of fallen soldiers from occupied or threatened territories. A commission led by the president’s office recommended the establishment of a mechanism to facilitate transfers and reburials. Subsequently, officials reached out to families, including the Kulyks, to coordinate the relocation of remains. A noncommissioned officer known as “Styxx” from Serhiy’s brigade took responsibility for organizing permits and logistics, leading to Serhiy’s exhumation from Kramatorsk cemetery in late April 2026 for reburial in Iziaslav.

Meanwhile, cities like Kramatorsk and nearby Sloviansk have seen further militarization and population displacement. Evacuations of children and the removal of statues and memorials have taken place amid growing drone reconnaissance and attacks on civilian infrastructure such as gas stations and residential buildings. Thousands of residents continue to flee monthly as the region remains a focal point of ongoing hostilities between Ukrainian forces and Russian or pro-Russian troops.