Author Volodymyr Vakulenko killed under occupation – Suspilne
Journalists from Suspilne's investigation department received photo evidence and DNA examination results which indicate that children's author Volodymyr Vakulenko was killed in Kharkiv oblast during the occupation, Suspilne reports.
Volodymyr Vakulenko is a children's author, poet, and laureate of numerous literary awards. Volodymyr went missing in Kapitolivka village near Izyum in March 2022. The writer's parents searched for their only son for over half a year. Later, they learned that the Russian occupiers had kidnapped him.
After Ukrainian troops liberated Izyum, a mass burial site was discovered in the city. As of early September, more than four hundred bodies have been found there. The burials were carried out by the local funeral service, which also kept a journal with information about the deceased. As Suspilne journalists found out, in this journal, the author's data was listed under number 319.
At first, the law enforcers denied the reports about Volodymyr Vakulenko being buried in this grave. On October 20, the spokesman of the Kharkiv oblast prosecutor's office made a statement on the national telethon "United News", saying that under number 319 they had discovered the body of an unknown woman.
However, Suspilne's investigators found a photo of the body with a number tag "319", taken before the burial. It also shows Volodymyr Vakulenko's documents and an arm tattoo similar to the one the author had. Now, a DNA examination confirmed the information about the writer's death.
Vakulenko is survived by an underage son. The child is disabled and needs help. The man spent almost all his time together with his son.
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