Missing in action during the very first battle — the story of a soldier from the 47th Independent Motorized Brigade.

Valentina, the mother of a soldier, shared this with Novini.LIVE during a rally in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The woman recounts that her son was drafted from the TCK on September 19, 2023, and by October 28, he was at the front lines. He served as a squad commander.

"His first battle was on November 2. They were under fire from everything imaginable. One was killed, and two were wounded, while he and three other guys went missing. Later, the commander told me over the phone that those three were found dead, but they couldn't locate my son. It's been 13 months since then, and I have not received any information about him,” the woman shared.

Valentina mentions that her son last called her on October 26, just before he was set to go to the front.

"He said that they would be out of contact for two days. They were supposed to guard a facility in Krasnohorivka. That's all the information I have today. I also know that no one from the 47th brigade has returned from captivity. We constantly attend rallies and various meetings,” Valentina concluded.

Her son has a wife and two children.

Kharkiv region topped the list of the most alarming regions in Ukraine based on the number of air raid alerts in 2024. The area recorded 2,062 alerts, surpassing the figures from Donbas, which came in second with 2,008 siren signals.

Ukrainian soldiers set up a New Year’s tree in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region. This demonstrates the successful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their effectiveness in countering the enemy even in border areas, emphasized Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.