Almost a quarter of missing persons cases in Ukraine have been opened by the Ukrainian Red Cross
According to the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, the Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances contained 62,948 cases as of February this year. As of now, the Ukrainian Red Cross has opened 16,190 search cases.
In this way, the Ukrainian Red Cross fulfils its special mandate as defined in the Geneva Conventions, the Additional Protocols thereto, and international agreements ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament). The Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Red Cross Society” defines the organisation’s auxiliary role to state authorities in humanitarian activities during armed conflicts, in peacetime, and in cases of natural disasters and emergencies.
We have been supporting families who have filed missing persons cases since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So far, work has been completed on 1,669 cases, 1,148 of which have had positive results. Work is ongoing on 14,521 cases. As part of our humanitarian support for families who have opened a search case with our organisation, 3,647 families from vulnerable groups have received humanitarian aid.
The main tasks of the staff and volunteers working to restore family links throughout Ukraine include: conducting initial interviews and processing applications for tracing; maintaining constant contact and providing support to families who have opened a search case with the Ukrainian Red Cross; offering psychosocial support; referring and/or advocating for families; liaising with state authorities responsible for tracing missing persons; organising and conducting social events; and providing families with humanitarian or financial aid. These activities are carried out with the support of the British Red Cross.
To open a search case, family members should contact the Ukrainian Red Cross hotline at 0 800 332 656 or send an email to rfl@redcross.org.ua. When applying, the requestor should provide details of the issue, the name of the missing person, their own name, and a personal phone number so that a Tracing Service representative can contact them.
