Over 28,000 Ukrainians are listed in the Unified Register of Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said during an event dedicated to the rights of servicemen.

“Currently, about 28 thousand people are considered missing under special circumstances. The country’s need to protect the rights of the military, veterans and family members is extremely high,” commented Lubinets.

In May 2023, the Unified Register of Missing Persons was launched in Ukraine. It contains all the data about the soldiers who are wanted. The Armed Forces of Ukraine initiate a search on their own and submit information to the register if there are grounds to consider a soldier missing or captured.

Missing Persons in Ukraine

On May 5, 2023, the then Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, Oleh Kotenko, stated that the Ukrainian authorities were trying to find more than 7,000 missing persons, 15% of whom were civilians.

Later, as of early October 2023, Ukraine was aware of approximately 26,000 Ukrainian citizens who went missing during Russia’s armed aggression, according to Deputy Interior Minister Leonid Tymchenko.

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