Eighteen specialists from the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service and nineteen volunteers involved in restoring family links are working across Ukraine
The number of requests to the Ukrainian Red Cross for tracing and restoring family links has increased since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
“Currently, hundreds of Ukrainian parents, wives, and children are waiting every day for their loved ones to return home. Our task is to support them in this,” said Iryna Tsaryuk, Head of the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service.
In order to respond promptly to requests from relatives of missing persons due to the war in Ukraine or prisoners of war, 18 specialists from the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service and 19 volunteers involved in restoring family links are working across Ukraine. The activities of the volunteers working to restore family links are supported by the British Red Cross.
Our team maintains direct contact with families whose loved ones have gone missing. They organise social meetings and support groups, provide humanitarian aid, offer guidance on obtaining government assistance, and refer cases to the relevant authorities. Additionally, residents from all over Ukraine can call the Ukrainian Red Cross hotline to report missing persons.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, volunteers and staff of the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service in the regions have:
- made 36,727 contacts with the families of missing persons/prisoners of war;
- provided assistance to 3,199 families of missing persons/prisoners of war, particularly those in greatest need, through the Ukrainian Red Cross humanitarian aid programmes for vulnerable populations in the regions.
“We receive requests with different stories, all sharing one thing in common: the tragedy of family separation. We cannot remain indifferent to the requests that include words like: ‘You are our last hope!’ or ‘Help us find…’. There are also words of gratitude: ‘Thank you for being here and for everything you’ve done for us!’ Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Red Cross Tracing Service has received hundreds of such letters. Each one contains a request, a sense of despair, the pain of loss, and hope in our ability to help. This motivates us even more to assist those in need,” notes Iryna Tsaryuk.
