Biweekly, Olena Zhuravlova visits the Lviv Luchakiv cemetery, where her husband Oleksii is buried. He was among the first to enlist when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was 46 and had only limited military experience. A mortar shell took him from the front merely two months after his arrival. Olena was notified by phone. They called to say his body had been found and that photos were needed to identify him. That moment left her searching for a person she could recognize in the distant space of memory.
Olena’s story is not unique in a country where a war lasting beyond a year has upended countless lives. Doctor Tetiana Kisil, 28, is rebuilding after a loss. Her husband Vasil died in Kherson, leaving behind a five-year-old daughter named Veronica. In Radelychi, a quiet town about sixty kilometers from Lviv, Tetiana keeps a few memories alive with a simple plaque and the sense that life must go on amid the quiet streets and school walls that bear witness to sorrow.
“He called us one day and said they wouldn’t be insured for a few days, so we waited. Days passed without news until he finally reached out to tell us he was gone”, she recalls. Many Ukrainians volunteered to serve after the invasion began, a decision that reshaped families and futures across the nation.
touched the demographic
This demographic shift in Ukraine has produced daily personal dramas while triggering a broader social impact. Every day, dozens of men depart for the front, and many do not return, leaving their families to navigate life without their loved ones. Olena Zhuravlova says her choice to let Oleksii go was driven by a sense of duty and necessity, even as it meant facing a future without him.
There are only a handful of historical studies examining how Ukraine’s population has transformed in the wake of the conflict. Yet the prevailing outlook is sobering. A recent analysis funded by European sources and conducted by the University of St Andrews suggested Ukraine could see its population decline sharply over the next two decades, with millions displaced and tens of thousands dead. The question about who remains at home is still unfolding.
Soldiers have died in significant numbers since the war began, though official tallies from the Ukrainian government often emphasize the losses on the opposing side. Independent comparisons remain difficult, so gaps in data persist. Still, the wartime year catalyzed the rise of voluntary organizations across the country that assist families of fallen soldiers.
unidentified
Bohdana Sirkiv, who has relatives on the front lines, leads one of the volunteer groups that support widows and children of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action. She notes that a lack of complete data stems from government caution about unsettling the public, but families clearly feel the strain of unresolved losses.
One major challenge is the fate of fallen soldiers who are unidentified or whose bodies are not yet recovered. Sirkiv explains that a persistent problem is the handling of remains in territories occupied by Russia. Since February 24, 2022, very few bodies have been recovered, complicating reunions for families trying to bring their loved ones home. This situation has left many families waiting months for closure and recognition.
On the economic side, families face ongoing financial pressure even as some support appears in the form of compensation for the decedents. Bureaucracy can slow assistance, yet many organizations continue to provide aid to relatives in need. Beyond the formal system, communities have stepped in to help, but there remains a delicate balance between aid and the slow grind of official processes.
In global terms, data from the United Nations indicates that thousands of civilians, including many men and women, have lost their lives in the conflict. While the UN cautions that the figure is likely higher and could rise, the human cost is already immense, and the toll continues to be felt week after week.