"We're wandering aimlessly, like blind kittens." Tales of those missing in the "Uspenov Bag."

“I understood that it would be difficult for him to get out from there”

42-year-old Artem Derevyanko worked in construction before the war. In the summer of 2024, he was mobilized. Artem participated in the fighting near Volchansk in the Kharkiv region. After that, he was sent with other soldiers of the 71st Separate Ranger Brigade to the Donetsk region. On the night of November 13, he took positions in Trudovoe along with three other soldiers.

At that time, the “neck” of the bag – from the village of Dalneye to Trudovoe – was just over 7 km. These villages, along with several others, are spread along the banks of the Sukhie Yaly River. The Russians surrounded them from both sides.

Analysts from the DeepState project reported on November 11 that the situation in this direction had deteriorated. They wrote: “If the issue with the flanks is not controlled, it will soon turn into another catastrophe.”

Natalia was used to her brother being in Volchansk, where the position changes usually followed a strict schedule. He would write that he was going on a mission and would contact his family after five days.

“This time, it was not five, but eight days without any news from him. We started calling the commanders. At first, they assured us that everything was under control: the guys were in contact every hour, but there was no one to replace them. However, on the morning of November 27, we were told that contact with them was lost on the evening of the 26th,” recalls his sister.

At that point, she did not yet know in which village Artem was, so she began searching on her own. When she found out he was in Trudovoe, she became alarmed after reviewing the combat maps.

“I understood it would be difficult for him to get out from there. I managed to find an acquaintance who had served there in October. He told me that the area was being fired upon from all sides. I called the command asking if they could search for our guys. But the answer was that there was no way to send evacuation groups or heavy equipment there,” says Natalia.

She began to reach out to other relatives. Initially, she found 30 families whose loved ones were also in the “Uspenovka bag.”

“The commander first said that when the rotation came, the shelling started, and it was unknown where our guys went. Then the story changed: supposedly they left without orders, warning about it, and were accompanied by a drone. 20-30 minutes after their exit, they were attacked by drones,” the woman recalls.

Later, the military told her that there were four soldiers in her brother's group. They were without food and water for a week, so they had to leave in the dark without orders because, according to them, there was simply no rotation. There was no one to replace them. After that, they disappeared.

Together with other families of the missing, Natalia wrote collective complaints to the State Bureau of Investigations to draw law enforcement's attention to the situation. She also reached out separately and received a response that her request was accepted, and they would inform her of the results.

“There is nowhere to find the truth”

Lesya asks not to mention the name of her missing 21-year-old son to avoid putting him in danger if he is in captivity. According to her, Nikita (name changed) was drafted in 2021. He was studying to be a lawyer. When he switched to part-time studies, he received a summons. Eventually, he dropped out of school entirely because he was not released from the army for his exams.

“After the start of the full-scale war, he signed a contract, even though I asked him not to. At first, they were not sent anywhere, he stayed in the rear unit, but in November 2024, he underwent training at the training ground. They were told there would be coordination, but there was none; they were taken straight to the front lines,” says Lesya.

Nikita went missing on December 19. Lesya last spoke to him five days prior. Her son wrote to her that he loved her and asked her not to worry. He warned her not to “panic” because he might not be in touch for a long time. This was his first outing to the front.

“On December 19, I felt as if I had been struck. I started searching for something on social media, calling everyone. The hotline said there was no information,” the woman recalls.

The mother did not stop and continued to seek any information. She says she contacted the commander, who told her that there was a “sad story” with Nikita's group, and no one had seen her son leave the positions.

“Another mother from Nikita's unit said that my son was allegedly seen as deceased. There is nowhere to find the truth. There are no results from the service investigation yet. I can't find anyone from Nikita's group of brothers,” says Lesya.

Alla also asked not to mention the name of her missing 25-year-old son. In mid-October 2024, he received a summons, went to the TCC, and was mobilized. He underwent training for a month and a half before being assigned to the 71st Brigade. At the end of November, he was redeployed to the Donetsk region.

“We were told we were going to Dnipro for more training. We were separated; we were not far from the front lines. They divided us into groups of 4-5,” wrote Ivan (name changed) to his mother in a messenger. On the morning of November 28, he reported on his first outing to the positions.

“A week passed without him being in touch. I started to raise the alarm and sent a request to the military unit. The next day, they replied that my son was missing in action on November 29 in the area of Veselyi Hai. There were four guys in Ivan's group, all of whom also disappeared. Like calves to slaughter, they were abandoned,” says Alla through tears.

In the brigade, according to her, they reported that the Russians attacked the positions with drones. They tried to search for the soldiers but to no avail. There are also no results from the service investigation.

“I didn’t let him go; he was mobilized secretly”

34-year-old Vadim Boyko was mobilized at the beginning of the full-scale war, recounts his ex-wife Valeria. Despite their divorce, they maintained a good relationship.

“He worked at a factory. I didn’t let him go, but at the beginning of the full-scale war, he mobilized secretly. He said he was going to his parents, but in reality, he was at the recruitment office. He served in the rear, and by November, he was transferred to the 79th Brigade,” Valeria shares.

On December 12, 2024, he had his first combat outing, and that was the last time she spoke with him. Valeria waited a week before contacting the brigade's hotline, where she was informed that the man was missing in action on December 20.

“The deputy commander said that nothing was known about his disappearance. I asked if anyone from Vadim's brothers had come out, and he said no. Later, I learned that one brother did return, but no one gave me his contact information,” recalls Valeria.

From other soldiers, she heard that Vadim was allegedly seen as deceased, but there is no confirmation of this. She is now waiting for the results of the service investigation.

The DeepState project reported on December 20 that the Russians had occupied Uspenovka. Thus, the story of the “bag” came to an end. Analysts stated that not all Ukrainian soldiers had escaped the encirclement, while the command denied such information.

What does the brigade say?

The command of the 71st Separate Ranger Brigade responded to hromadske that the soldiers were carrying out combat orders and were holding positions in their area of responsibility along with adjacent units.

“Losing positions in one area or the voluntary departure of one of the military units poses a deadly danger to other troops. Decisions about defending positions or planned retreats are made by higher military command,” the command states.

They recalled Hero of Ukraine Dmitry Maslovsky, who also found himself in the “Uspenovka bag,” where he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with an enemy armed with a knife to protect his brothers. One of them – with the call sign Khaza – was considered missing for almost a week until he was found severely wounded by his brothers during another sweep of the village of Trudovoe, which was also in