Ukraine said on April 16 it had identified almost 37,000 people who have not been accounted for since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said the figure includes children, civilians, and military personnel, and the true number “may be much higher.” The number includes about 1,700 people that he said Ukraine and the Red Cross had identified as "illegally detained" by Russia. Calculating the exact number of missing is difficult because Russian forces still occupy around one-fifth of the country and neither side regularly releases data on military casualties.
Ukrainian Official Estimates 37,000 People Missing Since February 2022
Relatives join a rally in support of soldiers and civilians who have gone missing missing or been captured, in Kyiv on March 16.