Vladimir Vakulenko Sr. has died—the father of the writer killed by the Russians
Vladimir Vakulenko Sr., the father of Ukrainian writer Vladimir Vakulenko—who was abducted, tortured, and killed by Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv region in 2022—has died. His death was reported by American filmmaker Amanda Bailey, who has been documenting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Vakulenko Sr. endured the search for his son, his identification among the dead in a mass grave in Izyum, and years of waiting for justice. Bailey wrote that his death will not be included in the official list of war victims, although, in her opinion, it was the war and the loss of his son that shattered his life.
“Vladimir Vakulenko’s father died yesterday. His death is one of those that will not be added to the official list of the dead, but he would certainly still be alive if not for the war, if Russia had not executed his son, if grief had not worn him down. He never recovered. How could he? He was a sensitive soul whose emotions were always—often painfully—evident,” Bailey said.
Russian troops captured writer Volodymyr Vakulenko in the spring of 2022 in the Izium district of the Kharkiv region. The occupiers also took his son, whom he was caring for. After that, his family did not know what had happened to Vakulenko for over six months.
Russian troops captured writer Volodymyr Vakulenko in the spring of 2022 in the Izium district of the Kharkiv region.
After the liberation of Izyum, the writer’s body was found in one of the mass graves. In November 2022, he was identified through DNA testing.
Vakulenko Sr. played a crucial role in preserving his son’s final account of the occupation. It was he who showed writer Viktoria Amelina the spot where Volodymyr Vakulenko had hidden his diary before his abduction. Later, this notebook became one of the documents preserving the memory of Russian crimes in the Kharkiv region. Amanda Bailey’s film crew spent a lot of time with the writer’s father.
“Our small film crew shared many heart-wrenching, as well as warm, and sometimes even joyful moments with him. He loved to surprise us with English words and phrases he remembered from his school days. He loved his birthday, jokes, pepper vodka, his best friend Victor, his grandsons Vlad and Vitaly, his great-grandson Artem, and, most of all, his late son Vladimir,” Bailey wrote.
The director remembers him as a man in whom the grief following his son’s death was combined with warmth, humor, and a great love for his family. But Vladimir Vakulenko Sr. passed away without ever seeing justice served for all those involved in his son’s murder.
“He died without seeing true justice for Vladimir’s death, but the fight will continue in his memory. I adored him and will miss him dearly.”
Amanda Bailey (Instagram) shared this news.
As a reminder, writer Volodymyr Vakulenko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Vladimir Vakulenko, a writer from the Kharkiv region, was posthumously awarded the Prix Voltaire Special Award by the International Publishers Association.
