In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of families are grappling with the anguish of missing loved ones. The National Police of Ukraine reports that over 30,000 individuals have been reported missing in the past two years, leaving many families in a state of uncertainty.
Among those missing are soldiers like Vladyslav, who disappeared in a battle with Russian forces in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. His mother, Iryna Reva, clings to hope, replaying the last video he sent her before vanishing. The agony of not knowing the fate of their relatives has become a shared experience for many Ukrainians.
For Inna Usenko, the disappearance of her brother during the siege of Mariupol has left her torn between hope and despair. Despite her relentless efforts to locate him, including filing reports with various authorities and providing DNA samples, she remains in limbo, haunted by guilt and uncertainty.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has been inundated with over 100,000 inquiries from families seeking information about missing relatives. The painstaking search often begins with submitting DNA samples, with more than 18,000 samples collected and processed by the National Police.
Volunteer projects have emerged to aid in the search for missing individuals, offering a glimmer of hope to families left in the dark. The Search for the Missing project, under the Kateryna Osadcha Foundation, has taken on around 1,000 cases, providing a lifeline for those desperate for answers.
Despite the passage of time, families like the Khvostenkos continue to hold out hope for their missing loved ones. Oleh's disappearance in the occupied city of Dniprorudne has left his family grappling with the unknown, reaching out to various institutions and organizations in a bid to uncover his fate.
The relentless search for missing relatives underscores the enduring impact of the conflict on Ukrainian families, who refuse to give up hope of finding their loved ones amidst the chaos and uncertainty.
