Ukraine mourns "collector of souls" Oleksiy Yukov, killed recovering war dead

Oleksiy Yukov, a dedicated recovery specialist who spent 20 years identifying and retrieving fallen soldiers from battlefields—including both Ukrainian and Russian troops—was killed when he stepped on a landmine during a recovery mission. Known as a "collector of souls" for his humanitarian work, Yukov's death represents a significant loss to Ukraine's efforts to honor and account for its war dead. His legacy underscores the dangerous and often overlooked work of those who recover and identify casualties in conflict zones.