This guide was written by a serving soldier — the founder of mementomori.digital. Not to frighten anyone, but because we see how the families of fallen comrades spend months searching for passwords, documents and answers to simple questions.
1. The legal side: will and power of attorney
- A will. Property, accounts, car, real estate. In Ukraine, a soldier's will can be certified by the unit commander, and the Civil Code treats it like a notarised will (Art. 1252). In other countries similar military procedures often exist — check with a lawyer or your unit.
- Power of attorney for someone close, so they can act on your behalf while you serve.
- Documents — gather copies in one place and tell your family where.
2. The digital side: what a will doesn't cover
A will passes on property, but it doesn't give access to:
- your phone and email;
- online banking and recurring payments;
- the cloud with photos and videos — often the most precious thing for a family;
- crypto in a personal wallet (without the seed phrase, no one will ever get it);
- social media, where friends will look for news.
List these accounts and write short instructions for each person who will deal with them.
3. The personal side: words worth leaving
Many comrades say the hardest part isn't passwords but what was left unsaid. A letter to a wife, to parents, to children who are still small and will read it years later. It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be honest.
4. Three rules for all of this
- Don't keep it all in your head. Anything can happen suddenly, at the front or at home.
- Don't send passwords in plain text. A phone can be lost, captured or hacked.
- Plan how and when the information reaches your family. Not earlier than needed, and not later.
How mementomori.digital helps
- You write separate messages to up to 5 people: instructions, access details, personal letters. The text is encrypted on your device.
- While you're in touch, nothing happens. If contact is lost, we check for weeks: we email you, ask your trusted person, and call.
- Your trusted person can tell us at any time if something has happened to you — we personally verify every such report.
- We understand the realities of service: a long silence on the front line is not a reason to deliver. Nothing happens automatically — only after a manual review.
Take care of yourself. And if the worst happens, let your words reach the people you love.