Over 90,000 Ukrainians are considered missing in action. Most of them are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to Artur Dobroserdov, the commissioner for missing persons, in response to a request from UP. Indeed, scrolling through the Facebook pages of military brigades, one can see many announcements about the search for loved ones — soldiers who have gone missing. Losing contact with a loved one on the front lines is an extremely difficult ordeal. The unknown is the most frightening thing, and your anxiety is completely understandable. Right now, your calmness, cool head, and correct actions are what the defender needs most of all. Government agencies have developed a clear search mechanism. Your composure will help this system work as quickly as possible. Caution and compliance with the rules will save the life of a soldier and protect your family from cynical fraudsters.
First steps and contacting law enforcement agencies
You should start by contacting the regional recruitment center through which your relative was mobilized. Alternatively, you can contact the military unit to which your relative was assigned. Representatives of these agencies have official information and can confirm the current status of your relative. It is at the recruitment center that they can confirm or refute the status of “missing in action.” Upon receiving notification of the disappearance, immediately call the police at 102 or go in person to the nearest police station to file a report. The investigator will need as much accurate information about the person as possible. Prepare passport details, remember tattoos, scars, and distinctive physical features. Collect information about the soldier’s belongings and phone numbers. The official registration of your statement initiates criminal proceedings. This legal step gives the state legal grounds to enter the person’s data into registries and conduct negotiations on exchange in accordance with international law.
Free DNA testing procedure in Ukraine and abroad
When filing a report, law enforcement officers will recommend submitting biological samples for DNA profiling. The procedure is completely safe, painless, and free of charge. An expert swabs the inside of the cheek with a special sterile cotton swab. The highest accuracy in establishing kinship is provided by genetic material from blood relatives — biological parents or children. Ukrainians who have been forced to leave the country due to the war also have the opportunity to participate in the identification process. The analysis can be submitted to branches of the state-owned enterprise “Document” in six European Union countries and Turkey. Those interested should write to hotliсne@dmsu.gov.ua, fill out an application, and choose a convenient meeting place with specialists. Ukrainian experts are working closely with the International Commission on Missing Persons in the Netherlands. This cooperation significantly speeds up the complex identification process.
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The work of coordination centers and hotlines
The state has combined the efforts of several agencies and created a single electronic register. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for searching for and keeping records of persons missing under special circumstances. The Main Intelligence Directorate, through the Coordination Headquarters, is responsible for the return of prisoners and the bodies of the deceased. Be sure to call the National Information Bureau at the short number 1648. Calls from abroad are accepted at +38 (044) 287-81-65. The service records data on illegally displaced, captured, and missing persons. Contact the Joint Center at the Security Service of Ukraine by calling (067) 650-83-32 or (098) 087-36-01. The center accepts emails at united.centre.ssu@gmail.com. The Coordination Headquarters at the Ministry of Defense advises relatives at the toll-free number 0 800 300 529 within the country and +38 (044) 390 43 90 for international calls. Contact the International Committee of the Red Cross at 0 800 300 155. Representatives of this organization have an exclusive mandate to visit places where prisoners are held.
Safety during independent searches and information hygiene
Relatives often start their own investigations. Here, it is critically important to maintain strict information hygiene. Talk to your relative’s comrades about the latest details of the battle. Meet with soldiers who have been released from captivity and show them photos of your loved one. Carefully review videos on enemy resources. Russians periodically post footage of our prisoners. Prepare copies of the missing person’s documents, information about their military unit, rank, date of last contact, and contacts of fellow servicemen for the official authorities. It is strictly forbidden to publish photos of the missing person in military uniform on open social networks. Do not disclose their brigade number, place of disappearance, or exact position. Enemy special services carefully collect this information to exert pressure and plan their operations. Fraudsters use grief to cynically extort money in exchange for fake help in securing release. Keep the information confidential. Publicity in such cases can seriously harm the person you are trying to save.
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