Nearly 185,000 people have contacted the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service to receive support for families of missing persons and detainees

Since the start of the full-scale war, the Ukrainian Red Cross has processed 184,662 initial tracing requests for missing persons and detainees, submitted through both offline and online channels.

The Restoring Family Links (RFL) team maintains regular contact with families who have opened a tracing case with the Ukrainian Red Cross. The main responsibilities of RFL staff and volunteers include registering tracing requests, supporting families, providing psychosocial assistance, referrals and advocacy, liaising with government authorities, and organising social activities for families. In addition, humanitarian and financial aid is provided with the support of the British Red Cross.

To date, work on 3,046 open cases has been completed, with the fate of 2,525 missing persons successfully established. Overall, since 2022, 4,414 families from vulnerable groups have received support from the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Currently, the tracing service employs 42 staff and volunteers who, at the regional level, have conducted 242 social and informational sessions, including recreational and supportive activities for families. Psychosocial support is a key part of this work, helping people cope with the prolonged emotional stress caused by uncertainty about the fate of a missing relative.

The Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Family Links Network (FLN) and maintains ongoing cooperation with offices of the Commissioner for Missing Persons, the Coordination Headquarters, the National Police, and other state institutions.

In Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions, RFL specialists also work directly with families of missing persons as part of Regional Working Groups of the Coordination Headquarters, ensuring more effective support in establishing the fate of their loved ones.

To open a tracing case, family members can call the Ukrainian Red Cross hotline at 0 800 332 656 or email rfl@redcross.org.ua.