Hope is the only thing that no one can ever take away from you. It is a source of strength in the fight for your loved ones and family
The International Red Cross is a neutral and independent organization that provides humanitarian assistance and protection to people affected by armed conflicts. You have a real opportunity to receive qualified help, and each request is considered individually. The ICRC is the guardian of international humanitarian law.
Missing persons
The purpose of the instruction is to convey to ordinary people how to properly submit a missing person report with the help of international non-governmental communities and charitable organizations. We understand how difficult it is to obtain qualified assistance, especially in challenging circumstances. Please follow each step of the instruction.
The request to find a missing person came to us from a young woman who had lost contact with her brother. Before the war, she worked in Hungary, and every day after it started, she would call her brother. Even when he joined the National Guard to defend the homeland, they tried to stay in touch. However, in October 2023, no one answered her calls. She tried to find his fellow soldiers and commanders and, in complete despair, turned to us. We spent almost three weeks searching for information, and at one point, we were even told that he had died, but there was no evidence to support this. We involved government services in the search, and one morning, a volunteer from a hospital recognized him by his tattoo. He was wounded but alive.
Sometimes difficulties in finding a person arise because our soldiers cannot reveal the truth about themselves. They do so to protect themselves, their country, and their comrades. In February 2023, we received a request from a wife who could not find out where her husband was. The military unit and the administration only told her that he was “missing in action,” and his name was not on the list of prisoners. This story is not unique, but almost always, there are people who can say what might have happened: an encirclement, an enemy offensive, a bombardment, but not this time. We found information about him only six months later. When there was a prisoner exchange, one of the soldiers said he was in captivity, and he had to invent a name and other important details because there was a risk of being executed due to his military specialty.
Loved ones never lose hope of finding each other; the hardest part is not knowing where to look. War is a terrible monster of this world, one that tears families apart. Due to the hostilities, men sent their relatives and wives to safer countries, often losing contact. A mother in such a situation approached us, seeking to find out what happened to her son. Some servicemen said he had died during a Russian offensive, but no documents or evidence were provided. She never lost hope of hearing his voice. We accepted her request; due to her health condition, she could not travel to Ukraine to directly contact the national center and submit a DNA sample. We were not indifferent—we took a sample and sent it to three centers, one of which confirmed that her son had died defending Ukraine. In time, the mother was able to receive his remains and bury her hero.