The Ministry of Defense does not demand money for a soldier who was considered dead and returned from captivity

Ministry of Defense stated that the family of a serviceman, released from captivity, Nazar Daletskyi should not return to the state payments received when the defender was considered dead.

"Additional trauma to a family that has already experienced extremely difficult circumstances is unacceptable," the agency wrote.

The MoD noted that it had no legal grounds or intentions to reconsider the decision to pay the family of the defender, and did not plan to force the return of the money to the state.

The Ministry also emphasized that all payments were made in accordance with the applicable law and the circumstances officially established at the time.

Daletskyi, a serviceman from Lviv region, who was returned from Russian captivity within the exchange on February 5, 2025. Since 2022, the defender was considered dead, and the following year a funeral was held after a body was identified through DNA testing.

"This situation is unique and contains a legal conflict that requires the most delicate and balanced approach. The circumstances of the death of the serviceman require further investigation," the Defense Ministry said.

They added that they continue to monitor the situation until all the circumstances and details are fully established.

The day before, on February 10, a representative of the ombudsman in Lviv region Taras Podvirnyi said Suspilne that, from a legal standpoint, theoretically, the Daletsky family should return the money, because it was allocated illegally.

Meanwhile, the ombudsman himself Dmytro Lubinets later that there is currently no decision to return these funds.

• On February 5, 2026, happened a new exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia, the first in more than four months. 157 Ukrainian military and civilians returned home. 139 of the released prisoners had been in Russian captivity since 2022.