A Ukrainian volunteer group, Black Tulip, has recovered the remains of more than 600 soldiers killed in eastern Ukraine, with estimates suggesting up to 1,500 still missing. The group, which relies on donations and lacks official support, risks its life to retrieve bodies from conflict zones.
One family, the Pivovarchyks, sought help after their brother Sergey went missing in action on 6 August 2014. They contacted a journalist who had accompanied Black Tulip on a recovery mission near Snizhne, where four bodies were found. The family hoped Sergey might be among them.
Black Tulip's head, Yaroslav Zhilkin, a former businessman, has spent over $160,000 of his own money on the project. He says the group needs proper equipment and legal status. Ukraine's security service lists more than 1,100 people as missing due to the conflict.
The group also responds to requests from pro-Russian rebel commanders to return their fighters' bodies. Despite the dangers, including unexploded shells and booby-traps, volunteers continue their work, driven by the families' desperation.
