Over 52,000 Ukrainians, including 3,676 children, missing since full-scale war began – Ombudsman Lubinets

The Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine's parliament – ed.] Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, citing research from Texty.org.ua, reported that more than 52,000 Ukrainians, including 3,676 children, have gone missing since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

He wrote about this on Telegram.

Thus, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of February 24, 2022, 52,673 people are considered missing, about 37,000 of them under special circumstances.

During the same time, 3,676 cases of children disappearing were recorded.

The ombudsman emphasized that in the conditions of a full-scale war, any information that can help the relatives of the missing to find them is critically important.

Search algorithms are created thanks to open data, according to him:

• International and humanitarian missions are used to find Ukrainian citizens, either abroad or in captivity;
• State institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the public all work together;
• Cases of fraud with missing persons' documents are revealed;
• The crimes of the occupiers are documented.

"The greatest grief that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine brings is human losses. We must do everything possible to make the terrorist country bear responsibility for every ruined life of the Ukrainian people," Lubinets emphasized.

For reference:

As reported, in May 2023, the Unified Register of Persons Disappeared Under Special Circumstances became operational.

In addition, a platform was launched in Ukraine to search for missing and deported children.

It should be noted that Ukrainians were explained where to start the search for relatives who have gone missing.

It was also reported that a peaceful event, "The Missing Status Is Not a Sentence," was held at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the capital on April 13 to honor the defenders of Bakhmut and Soledar.