Blindly into the fray: Stories of soldiers gone missing after ‘Uspenivka cul-de-sac’

"I knew it would be hard for him to get out of there"

42-year-old Artem Derevyanko worked in construction before the war. In the summer of 2024, he was mobilized. Artem participated in battles near Vovchansk, in Kharkiv Oblast. Later, along with other soldiers of the 71st Separate Jaeger Brigade, he was sent to Donetsk Oblast. Overnight on November 12, he took up positions in Trudove with three other soldiers.

At that time, the "neck" of the cul-de-sac—from the village of Dalne to Trudove—was a little over 7 km. These villages, like many others, were spread along the river Sukhi Yaly. Russians surrounded them from both banks.

Analysts from the DeepState project reported on November 11 about the deteriorating situation in this area. They wrote, "If the flank problem is not addressed, it will very soon turn into another catastrophe."

Nataliнa was used to her brother being in Vovchansk, where deployments usually followed a clear schedule. He would write that he was going on a mission and then contact his family after five days.

"This time, not five, but eight days passed without any news from him. We started calling the commanders. Initially, they told us everything was under control: the guys were contacting us every hour, but there was no one to replace them with. However, on the morning of November 27, we were told that they had gone missing on the evening of the 26th," recalls his sister.

At that time, she didn't know exactly where Artem was, so she started searching on her own. When she found out he was in Trudove, she became worried after looking at the map of the combat operations.

"I knew it would be hard for him to get out. I managed to find a friend who served there in October. He told me the area was being fired upon from all sides. I called the command, asking if they could search for our guys. But they said there was no way to send in evacuation teams or heavy equipment," says Nataliya.

She started looking for other relatives. Initially, she found 30 families whose relatives were also in the "Uspenivka cul-de-sac."

"The commander first said that when the rotation came, shelling started, and we didn't know where our guys went. Later, the story changed: supposedly, they left without orders, warning about it, and a drone escorted them. 20 to 30 minutes after they left, they were attacked by drones," Nataliya recalls.

Later, the military told her that there were four soldiers in her brother's group. They had been without food and water for a week. So, they had to leave in the dark without orders because there was no rotation. After that, they went missing.

Together with other families of the missing, Nataliya wrote collective complaints to the State Bureau of Investigation to draw the attention of law enforcement to this situation. She also filed a complaint separately and received a response that her application had been accepted and that she would be informed of the results.

"There's no truth to be found"

Lesya asks not to reveal the name of her 21-year-old son, who went missing, so as not to harm the young man if he is in captivity. According to the woman, Mykyta (name changed) was drafted in 2021. He was studying law. When he switched to part-time studies, he received a draft notice. Later, he dropped out of school altogether because he wasn't released from the army for exams.

"After the start of the full-scale war, he signed a contract, even though I asked him not to. Initially, they weren't sent anywhere and remained in the rear unit. In November 2024, he underwent training at a training ground. They were told there would be coordination, but there wasn't any; they were immediately sent to the front line," says Lesya.

Mykyta went missing on December 19. Lesya last spoke to him five days before that. Her son wrote to her that he loved her and asked her not to worry. He also warned her not to "panic" because he might not contact her for a long time. This was Mykyta's first deployment to the front line.

"On December 19, I felt like something was wrong. I started searching on social media and calling everyone. The hotline said there was no information," she recalls.

But the mother did not stop and continued to search for any information. She says she contacted the commander, who told her that the situation with Mykyta's group was "sad," and no one saw her son leave his position.

"But he told another mother from Mykyta's company that my son was seen dead. There's no truth to be found. The results of the official investigation are not yet available. I can't find any of Mykyta's brothers-in-arms," says Lesya.

Alla also asked not to reveal the name of her 25-year-old son, who went missing. In mid-October 2024, he received a draft notice, went to the military registration and enlistment office, and was mobilized. For a month and a half, he underwent training, after which he was assigned to the 71st Brigade. At the end of November, he was sent to Donetsk Oblast.

"We were told we were going to Dnipro for more training. They deceived us; we were not far from the front line. We were divided into groups of 4-5 people," Ivan (name changed) wrote to his mother in a messenger. On the morning of November 28, he reported his first deployment to the front line.

"A week passed, and he didn't contact me. I started to worry and sent a request to the military unit. The next day, they replied that my son had gone missing on November 29 near Veselyi Hai. There were four guys in Ivan's group, and all of them went missing. They were sent to their deaths like calves," Alla says through tears.

The brigade, according to her, said that the Russians attacked the positions with drones. They tried to search for the soldiers but in vain. The results of the official investigation are also not yet available.

"I refused to let him go, he mobilized secretly"

34-year-old Vadym Boyko was mobilized at the beginning of the full-scale war, says his ex-wife Valeriya. Despite their divorce, they maintained a good relationship.

"He worked at a factory. I didn't let him go, but at the beginning of the full-scale war, he mobilized secretly. He said he was going to his parents, but he was actually at the military registration and enlistment office. He served in the rear, and in November, he was transferred to the 79th Brigade," says Valeriya.

On December 12, 2024, he went on his first combat mission, and that was the last time she spoke to him. A week later, Valeriya contacted the brigade's hotline, where she was told that her husband went missing on December 20.

"The deputy commander said nothing was known about the disappearance. I asked if any of Vadym's brothers-in-arms had returned, and he said no. Later, I found out that one fellow soldier did return, but no one gave me his contact information," recalls Valeriya.

From other soldiers, she heard that Vadym was seen dead, but there is no confirmation of this. She is now waiting for the results of the official investigation.

The DeepState project reported on December 20 that the Russians had occupied Uspenivka. Thus, the story of the "cul-de-sac" came to an end. Analysts stated that not all Ukrainian soldiers had escaped the encirclement, while the command denied this information.

What the brigade says

The command of the 71st Separate Jaeger Brigade told hromadske that their soldiers were carrying out combat orders and, together with adjacent units, were holding positions in their area of responsibility.

"Losing positions in one area or the unauthorized withdrawal of one of the military units leads to a deadly danger for other troops. Decisions about defending lines or planned retreats are made by higher military command," says the command.

They mentioned Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Maslovskyi, who also found himself in the "Uspenivka cul-de-sac" and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy armed with a knife to cover his brothers-in-arms. One of them, with the call sign Khaza, was considered missing for almost a week until he was found severely wounded by his brothers-in-arms during a clearing operation in the village of Trudove, which was also in the "cul-de-sac" and saw fierce fighting.

"With sympathy and sorrow, we treat the families of the fallen and missing soldiers. Evacuation teams always work on the battlefield, risking their own lives to search for and retrieve the bodies of those who have been declared missing. But for obvious reasons, this cannot be done from positions captured by the enemy," says the brigade.

The 71st Brigade stressed that there is a hotline for relatives where they can get answers to questions about necessary documents, investigation results, financial payments, etc.

"A set of measures for the search, identification, and return of the missing is ensured, despite the fact that the brigade is constantly engaged in heavy combat operations in the most difficult sectors of the front," says the command.

On December 16, 2024, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Troop Grouping, said during the national telethon that the operation in the "Uspenivka cul-de-sac" aimed to maximally exhaust the enemy and preserve personnel.