Russia responds to only 5-7% of inquiries regarding missing Ukrainian servicemen - Ombudsman

That’s according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

According to the official, a meeting was held at the Commissioner’s Office with the families of the captured defenders from Military Unit A2167. The office was represented by Yuriy Kovbasa, chief of the Department for Rights Monitoring in the Defense Sector and the Rights of Veterans and Servicemen, Prisoners of War and Their Family Members.

One of the urgent issues was related to the relevance of information about the missing servicemen and their likely captivity.

Kovbasa noted that official correspondence with the Russian side has been going on for about a year. Certain agreements were reached regarding the possibility of inquiring and receiving information about missing military personnel.

According to him, the agreements on the Russian part turned out to be “empty words” as the Ukrainian side received a response to only 5-7% of all inquiries. However, pressure on the Russian side to obtain the necessary information is constantly exerted.

It was also recalled that the Memorandum had been signed with the Kyiv Research Institute of Forensic Expertise under the Ministry of Justice, the purpose of which is to verify reports on Ukrainian military personnel held captive on the territory of the Russian Federation.

As noted in the Commissioner's Office, the procedure has a certain algorithm. First of all, relatives turn to the Commissioner's Office with inquiries about their missing loved ones.

"After such inquiries are received from relatives, we forward them to the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Examinations. The institute conducts an examination based on the information provided and hands down the results of such examination. The results may include the identification of persons, as well as an assessment of moral and psychological damage as a result of being held in captivity," noted the official.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons has created an action algorithm to streamline procedures for determining the fate of missing soldiers and is working on the possibility of family members participating in procedures for identifying their missing relatives.

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