Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict: 23,000 people reported missing

Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seeking to clarify the fate of 23,000 persons whose families have no news of them, either because they have been captured, killed, or because they lost contact after fleeing their homes. The pain of family separation comes on top of indescribable loss and suffering. Two years after the escalation of the armed conflict, humanitarian needs are rising, including for millions of people displaced, both within and beyond the borders of the two countries.

“Not knowing what happened to a loved one is excruciating, and this is the tragic reality for tens of thousands of families who live in a state of constant anguish. Families have the right to know what happened to their relatives and, when possible, to exchange news with them,” said Dusan Vujasanin, the head of the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency Bureau (CTA-B) for the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

By the end of January 2024, the ICRC, in collaboration with Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies in Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere, had helped 8,000 families receive information on the fate or whereabouts of their missing loved one. Over the last two years, the ICRC has received more than 115,000 phone calls, online requests, letters or in-person visits from families from both Russia and Ukraine looking for their missing relatives.

"We’ve helped thousands of separated relatives communicate with or learn more about the fate of a loved one, but so many remain without news. We’re working every day to help more families,” Mr Vujasanin said.

What families have told us:

Established in March 2022, the CTA-B works with the parties to the conflict to prevent