ICRC: number of missing persons in Ukraine conflict reaches 275,000

The number of people missing as a result of hostilities in Ukraine has reached 275,000.

This was reported in an interview with Vedomosti by Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

According to her, the ICRC records an average of 10,000 new cases of missing persons per month — among both Ukrainians and Russians.

“On average, we record 10,000 new cases [of missing persons] per month — among both Ukrainians and Russians. The numbers are high on both sides. We are seriously concerned that it will take a long time to process the requests received by the ICRC. To date, the number of missing persons stands at 275,000,” said Mirjana Spoljaric Egger.

The ICRC president noted that over the past four years the organization has made progress on humanitarian issues. In particular, the number of responses for families searching for relatives has increased, but at the same time the number of missing persons is also growing, she added.

In July, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova reported that, with the assistance of the ICRC, about 1,700 Russian prisoners who had gone missing in Ukraine had been found, and more than a thousand of them had returned home.

On September 20, the ombudsman reported that Russia is searching for servicemen held in so-called shadow captivity in Ukraine. According to her, this refers to those who could have been held for months in closed facilities and listed as missing. To date, nine Russian fighters have been returned from this captivity.