Nearly 30,000 Ukrainians classified as missing since beginning of 2024 – Ukrainian ombudsman for missing persons
Almost 30,000 Ukrainians have been reported missing since the beginning of 2024, including both military personnel and civilians.
Source: Artur Dobroserdov, Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda; Ukrainska Pravda article
Details: Currently, there are over 71,000 entries on the register of missing persons under special circumstances, both military personnel and civilians. Almost 30,000 people have been given this status since the beginning of 2024. Dobroserdov declined to provide specific data on military personnel, as this is classified information.
Quote from Dobroserdov: "We compile statistics on missing persons by oblast every month, using the place of registration of the missing person. The top three oblasts as of the end of December 2024 are Donetsk, followed by Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv oblasts."
More details: Currently, 59,000 Ukrainians are still missing. Of these, 7,500 have been officially confirmed as prisoners of war by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The search for 9,255 individuals has ended as of 1 January 2025. Of these, 3,923 have been found alive. The bodies of another 5,332 have been identified.
The register is also collecting information on unidentified bodies, with over 3,200 entries to date.
Quote from Dobroserdov: "We repatriate bodies every month, sometimes twice a month. We hand over the bodies of Russian invaders and receive the bodies of our defenders. This process occurs regularly, without significant interruptions. Accordingly, certain search operations are taking place on their side. They are returning the bodies. As of now, we have managed to bring back 5,500 bodies."
Background: Ukraine launched the Unified Register of Persons Missing in Special Circumstances in May 2023.
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