The households of 84,658 lacking Russian squaddies have filed inquiries with Ukraine about their family members for the reason that get started of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the exiled information outlet Vyorstka reported Thursday.
Vyorstka analyzed information from the Ukrainian Coordination Heart for the Remedy of Prisoners of Conflict’s hotline, “I Wish to To find,” which used to be introduced in January 2024 and promotes itself as extra attentive to Russian army households than Russia’s Protection Ministry.
“Russia nonetheless doesn’t have a unmarried company that offers with prisoners of conflict, the lacking and the useless, in addition to reinforce for his or her households,” stated a mission staffer recognized most effective by means of the primary identify Alexander.
As of April 2025, the hotline had processed greater than 58,000 inquiries — round two-thirds of the overall submitted. The households of two,184 Russian squaddies have been ready to substantiate that their relations had both been captured by means of Ukrainian forces or killed.
“I Wish to To find” group of workers declare that the real choice of lacking Russian troops is most likely two to 3 occasions upper, as now not all households have submitted requests.
Greater than part of the lacking are believed to be privates and sergeants underneath the age of 39. Only one.5% have been officials, in step with Vyorstka’s research.
Since 2022, the “I Wish to To find” hotline has recorded weekly spikes in inquiries following primary battles. 3 army devices stood out for surprisingly top numbers of lacking particular person requests, with commanders accused by means of squaddies and relations of abuse and sending troops into doomed attacks.
Greater than 27,600 squaddies reportedly went lacking within the Donetsk area of jap Ukraine, adopted by means of over 6,600 in neighboring Luhansk. Every other 4,300 squaddies went lacking in Russia’s Kursk area, the place Ukrainian forces introduced a marvel cross-border raid in August that Russian troops driven again most effective remaining month.
Greater than part the requests have been submitted by means of the warriors’ better halves and sisters, whilst simply 1% got here from fathers.
Russia has now not up to date its reliable casualty rely since overdue 2022, when it reported fewer than 6,000 battle deaths.
An unbiased rely by means of Mediazona and BBC Information Russia has recognized the names of round 100,000 useless Russian squaddies the use of publicly to be had assets.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky advised CBS Information that as much as 100,000 Ukrainian troops had additionally been killed since February 2022.
