Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko died in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region during the Russian occupation and was buried in the city of Izyum, where after the liberation of the city, about 400 bodies were found in a mass grave, Meduza notes. The man was interrogated by Luhansk “militias” at the request of local residents, after which he disappeared without a trace.

Vakulenko, who wrote poems and children’s books, went missing in March when the Russians captured Kapitolivka, his hometown.

According to Vakulenko’s ex-wife, Iryna Novitska, local residents reported him to Russian soldiers, then he was abducted either by Russian troops or the authorities imposed by Moscow.

The writer’s father told the law enforcement officers that five people, probably Luhansk militiamen, broke into their house on March 23, when Vakulenko was being taken for questioning.

They interrogated and beat

During the interrogation, the writer was beaten and then released.

However, the next day, two people came to Vakulenko’s home in a car with the symbol “Z” and stole it. Since then, no one has seen him alive.

In September, when Ukrainian troops liberated Izyum, a mass grave with the bodies of about 400 people who died during the Russian occupation was found in the city.

In October, Vakulenko’s father contacted police to say he believed one of the bodies belonged to his son.

Investigative journalists found out from the undertakers who serviced the mass grave that Vakulenko was buried in grave 319.

Identified by tattoo and DNA analysis

A photograph of the body before the burial shows part of a tattoo on the hand, similar to what Vakulenko had, as well as documents with the writer’s name.

The police confirmed that the Ukrainian writer was found in a mass grave after DNA analysis, indicating that there were two bullet wounds on Vakulenko’s body.

As Hromadske reports, local residents who buried bodies during the Russian occupation say that soldiers ordered them to bury the body of a man found near Kapitolivka, the writer’s hometown, on May 12. The body lay in the open for more than a month, local residents told reporters.