Kathrine Frich
War stories are often told through maps, statistics and official statements.
Far less often do they come from parents who spend years searching for answers about what happened to their children.
In Ukraine, three mothers have now chosen to speak publicly, hoping their testimony will ensure that what happened to their sons is neither forgotten nor denied.
Friends since childhood
The three women come from Irpin and have known each other for years. Their sons, Artur, Ruslan and Alexei, were inseparable friends long before the war began.
Artur and Alexei met in kindergarten and grew up side by side. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Artur and Ruslan were 22, while Alexei was 20.
After taking their families to safety in western Ukraine, the young men returned to Irpin and joined a volunteer unit in the first days of the fighting.
Last contact
On March 2, 2022, contact with the three volunteers suddenly stopped. That day, they had been tasked with delivering ammunition and drones to Ukrainian positions.
Near Vorzel, they came under fire and were captured by Russian forces. Later that month, a video circulated on a Russian channel showing Artur and Ruslan being interrogated in a forest.
“A neighbor sent me a video of him being severely beaten, kneeling, completely subdued by the orcs… We were told they couldn’t be killed because there was a video of them being held captive,” said Artur’s mother.
Torture revealed
For months, the families searched detention centres and prisoner lists, submitting DNA samples and clinging to hope. Ruslan’s mother said: “I’m still looking for him alive.”
Their breakthrough came through unofficial channels, when they located another Irpin resident captured at the same time. He confirmed the boys were tortured.
“They were tortured, it was March, it was cold, they sat on them and used them as mattresses,” he said.
The witness added that the men were repeatedly threatened with execution and later held in a freezer at Hostomel airport.
Unknown graves
After the Kyiv region was liberated, severely burned remains were recovered from hangars at Hostomel airport and sent for forensic examination.
The damage was so extensive that even the number of bodies could not be determined.
DNA samples were taken but later buried in a cemetery as “unknown persons”.
Years passed before one mother discovered her DNA had never been added to the database.
When it finally was, the result showed a 99.9% match.
Dignity and justice
Artur, Ruslan and Alexei were buried with honour on the Alley of Heroes in Irpin, side by side.
“We buried our children with dignity,” said Lyudmila.
But the mothers say their fight continues. “I want all of humanity to know that they are heroes,” Valeria said.
They are now determined to ensure evidence of war crimes is preserved, insisting those responsible “have names, ranks and positions in the Russian army”.
Sources: foreign media reports, LA.lv
