Ukraine: Families Seek Answers as Record Number of Missing Persons Grows

As the world prepares to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30, the ICRC has revealed that more than 154,200 people remain unaccounted for in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This staggering number includes individuals from both sides of the frontline, with most cases involving combatants who are either missing or killed in action.

Natalia, whose husband, a soldier, went missing in May 2024 during a mission along the frontline, shared her harrowing experience. “I met with a fellow soldier of Oleh, and he confirmed that he knew Oleh had died. But no one had seen or found the body. This whole year of searching has been hell,” she said. After months of uncertainty, Natalia finally received confirmation that her husband had been killed in action, and his remains were repatriated in a recent exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

Natalia’s story is just one among tens of thousands. The emotional toll on families who are left without answers is immense. Under international humanitarian law, families have the right to know the fate of their loved ones in armed conflicts. States are obligated to provide this information when available.

The ICRC, acting as a neutral intermediary, works to facilitate the sharing of information between Russia and Ukraine. This includes accounting for all enemy nationals in captivity and exchanging personal messages between prisoners of war and their families. Since the escalation of the conflict, the ICRC has provided information to over 14,800 families, helping to clarify the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones. By August 2025, more than 20,900 personal messages had been exchanged between prisoners of war and their families, offering some a lifeline of hope.

Liudmyla, whose grandson disappeared without a trace, has turned to poetry as an outlet for her grief. “I even heard his voice in my sleep one morning. He said, ‘Hello.’ It was his voice for sure,” she shared. Liudmyla manages online poetry groups where people support each other through the sorrow of unresolved loss.

The ICRC continues to play a crucial role in addressing this humanitarian crisis. From anywhere in the world, individuals can approach the ICRC to register cases of loved ones who are unaccounted for in relation to the armed conflict.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.