Over 52,000 Ukrainians gone missing since war-start

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale incursion into Ukraine, more than 52,000 Ukrainians have gone missing, including 3,676 children.

This was reported via Telegram by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, with reference to a study by Texty.org.ua, Ukrinform saw.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs states that, since February 24, 2022, 52,673 persons have been confirmed as missing, about 37,000 of them – under special circumstances (of martial law). During the same time, 3,676 children went missing, as per the ministry’s data.

The ombudsman emphasized that in the conditions of a full-scale war, any information that can help the families of the missing find them is critical.

In his opinion, it is thanks to open data that search algorithms are being created: citizens of Ukraine are found abroad or in captivity through the efforts of international and humanitarian missions; state institutions, non-governmental organizations and the public cooperate; cases of fraud with the IDs of missing persons are revealed; and Russia’s crimes are documented.

"The greatest grief that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine brings is human losses. We must do everything possible to hold the terrorist state to account for every life destroyed," Lubinets emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the ombudsman said there are almost 1,700 civilians held in Russia, and about 14,000 civilians are considered missing.