Ukrainian children's writer Volodymyr Vakulenko was killed by the Russian military during the occupation of Izyum. This is reported by "Suspilne" with reference to photo evidence and the results of a DNA examination.
Vakulenko disappeared in the village of Kapitolovka near Izyum in March. His parents said that on March 24, five people entered his house and abducted the man in home clothes. “Volodya was first forced to undress, checked for a tattoo. He has a tattoo, ” said the writer’s mother Elena Ignatenko. She found out where her son was being hidden and asked the kidnappers to let him go. They promised to bring him home, but this never happened.
When the Armed Forces of Ukraine freed Izyum, they found a magazine with data on the dead, which was kept by the local ritual service, in the city. According to Suspіlne, Vakulenko's data was indicated at number 319, but law enforcement agencies denied that the writer was buried in the grave under this number. Despite this, Suspilne journalists found a photo of the body taken before burial. A tattoo was visible on it, similar to Vakulenko's. This became the basis for conducting a DNA examination.
The writer left a minor son who was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. "Suspilne" writes that Vakulenko raised him mainly on his own. Now the writer's mother takes care of the child.