Ukraine’s Missing Persons Register Shows 46,285 Individuals Still Unaccounted For

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, 55,829 people have been reported missing since the start of the full-scale invasion. Currently, 46,285 are still being searched for, information on around 7,000 has been established, and 1,767 cases involve missing children.

This information was reported by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Social Policy offers 12 priority social services and support programs for families waiting for the release of a loved one from captivity or whose relatives are missing.

“To truly assist Ukrainian families in such circumstances, the Ministry of Social Policy is developing support programs, which may include psychological services at social service centers, resilience centers, or sanatorium treatment. We encourage families to take advantage of these programs,” said Ulyana Tokareva, Deputy Minister of Social Policy.

These social services and benefits are available at any stage and can be accessed by family members while they wait, or by the individual after release during rehabilitation and at their place of residence.

In mid-July, Dmytro Bohatyuk, head of the Interior Ministry’s Office for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, reported that 42,000 people remain on the wanted list.

“Since the beginning of the register, information about more than 51,000 people reported missing under special circumstances has been recorded. Currently, 42,000 are still being sought,” Bohatyuk said.

He added that the Interior Ministry has data on about 7,000 individuals whose information has already been confirmed.

“These include over 3,000 people whose whereabouts have been established and who are alive, many of whom are former prisoners of war. Additionally, about 4,000 bodies have been identified, most of them our defenders who were initially reported missing,” the Interior Ministry spokesperson stated.

Missing in special circumstances

Not all cases of missing persons are related to hostilities. Persons who went missing under special circumstances caused by hostilities, temporary occupation of the territory of Ukraine, or natural disasters are included in a separate Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances.

According to the project “Missing during the full-scale invasion,” 36,056 people, including 2,108 children, are currently considered missing under special circumstances. The project receives data from the “Search” database of the information and communication system “Information Portal of the National Police of Ukraine”.

This database includes, in particular, military personnel until their status of death or captivity is confirmed. It also covers individuals from occupied territories who have been abducted, taken, or deported to Russia, provided the National Police of Ukraine receives a corresponding report. Additionally, the register may include people who left the occupied territories on their own and are now in Russia or a Western country. Ukraine may consider them missing, even though they are in another country without having crossed the Ukrainian border.