" Half of the house was crushed, as if it had been cut with a knife"

For two years now, Oleksandr MELNYCHENKO has been searching for his son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters. Borodianka, Irpin... Oleksandr's relatives were scattered across the Kyiv region during the full-scale Russian invasion. At the age of 72, the man decided to defend his native land. He went to enlist in the territorial defence, but because of his age, he was not taken.

Oleksandr's son, a former police officer, joined the defence of the region. On 1 March, he was injured during a shelling. Later, Yurii's house was half destroyed by air strikes. According to the police, 25 of its residents, at least three of whom are children, are still missing. All this time, Oleksandr has been looking for his son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters. The man has taken a DNA test several times, with no results.