Red Cross: Fate of 23,000 people in Ukraine unclear
Published: Monday, Feb 19th 2024, 12:00
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At least 23,000 people are missing in Ukraine. Their fate is unclear, as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported in Geneva on Monday.
They may have been arrested or abducted or have died; or relatives may have lost sight of each other during the escape, the ICRC said. By the end of January, the ICRC had been able to help 8,000 Russian and Ukrainian families obtain information about the fate or whereabouts of their missing relatives, the organization reported.
"Not knowing what has happened to a loved one is unbearable, and this is the tragic reality for tens of thousands of families living in constant fear," said Dusan Vujasanin, the head of the ICRC Tracing Service. The ICRC quoted a family member searching for loved ones as saying: "I have no more tears, only pain, and my heart is breaking."
The ICRC set up the Office for the Search for Missing Persons in March 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It helps families on both sides of the conflict. Under the Geneva Conventions, which apply worldwide, parties involved in conflicts are obliged to collect and exchange information about prisoners.
The ICRC is the neutral mediator between the two. The Geneva Conventions are intended to protect people who are not or no longer involved in hostilities. They are at the heart of international humanitarian law.
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