Thousands of Ukrainian families live in uncertainty while their loved ones are in captivity or considered missing. Over four years of work, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has returned 8,669 citizens – military and civilians – home, while thousands of people remain in captivity. As the search continues, families face the process of obtaining status, payments, and access to social guarantees. In 2026, the state changed some rules, equalizing payments for families of fallen and missing defenders and introducing priority support for released civilians. This article explains how to obtain status, what payments are provided to families of missing persons, and where to apply.
What does the status of a missing person mean under special circumstances
The legal basis is the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Status of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances” (№ 2505-VIII). The status is granted to a person who has disappeared as a result of hostilities, armed conflict, or temporary occupation, and reflects one thing – the whereabouts of the person are unknown. This recognition does not mean death: the person may be in captivity, in a hospital, or evacuated. A person acquires the status from the moment of entry into the Unified Register of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances and retains it until the end of the search in the established procedure. The long period of absence itself does not automatically change the status.
How to obtain the status
The first step is to contact the police immediately after losing contact – there is no need to wait a few days. The application is submitted to the police department or by calling 102, after which the National Police open a criminal proceeding and launch search measures. At the same time, the family applies to the Authorized Person for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances. After verification, the data is entered into the Unified Register, usually within thirty days, and the relatives are issued an extract from the register, which confirms the status. This document opens access to a pension, financial support, and benefits, so it is applied to social protection agencies and the Pension Fund.
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Payments to families of military personnel
For families of military personnel who have gone missing, there is a separate mechanism of financial support, regulated by the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 884. The military retains monthly financial support – a positional salary, a salary for their rank, a surcharge for years of service, and other components that are accrued for the entire period of absence until their return from captivity, recognition as deceased, or removal from the lists of the unit by a court decision. An additional reward of 100,000 hryvnias is also provided if the disappearance is related to the performance of combat missions. Part of the funds is reserved in case the military returns from captivity: after release, they have the right to part of the support accumulated during the period of captivity.
From 2026, the Verkhovna Rada eliminated the difference that existed earlier between the families of the deceased and missing defenders. Now, a single boundary of support operates – 15 million hryvnias per family, regardless of status. The family of a missing person continues to receive monthly support, and if the person is later recognized as deceased, the family is paid the difference up to 15 million hryvnias, taking into account the funds already received.
Pension due to loss of a breadwinner
Disabled family members – children, parents, husband, or wife – have the right to a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner. It is appointed regardless of the length of the insurance period, and for children – regardless of whether they were dependent. The right to such a pension arises a month after the information is entered into the Unified Register. The application is submitted to the service center of the Pension Fund in person or through the web portal of electronic services, adding an extract from the register, birth and marriage certificates, documents on the composition of the family, and bank details. From March 1, 2026, the government increased the minimum guarantees: support is at least 12,810 hryvnias per person and at least 10,020 hryvnias for each recipient if the payment is appointed to several family members. If a person returns from captivity or the status is canceled, the payment of funds to the family is stopped, and payments to the military are resumed.
Civilians who have gone missing
For civilians who have disappeared during shelling or occupation, financial support is more modest, since military-type financial support is not accrued to them. The main support for dependents is a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner, as well as state social assistance. The procedure for obtaining the status is similar: an application to the police, entry into the register, receipt of an extract, and application to social protection agencies. Separately, the family can declare the damages caused through the Damage Register in the Diia application. The family itself can recognize a missing person as deceased through a court decision, according to the Civil Procedure Code, and the full mechanism of social protection is activated after such a court decision.
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Support for those released from captivity
Released military personnel are guaranteed free treatment and rehabilitation. Immediately after their return, a person undergoes primary medical examination, after which they are directed to a reintegration center, where an anamnesis is collected and an individual rehabilitation plan is drawn up. Institutions are divided into two levels: the first level conducts reintegration measures with medical and psychological assistance, and the second level provides in-depth rehabilitation. A group of social support helps during the passage of a military-medical commission or the design of documents.
For civilians who have returned from places of captivity, from January 1, 2026, the Procedure for Priority Measures of Support, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1775, operates. It provides for a one-time payment of 50,000 hryvnias, psychological rehabilitation, and legal support. The status of such persons is regulated by the Law on Social and Legal Protection of Persons in Respect of Whom the Fact of Deprivation of Personal Freedom has been Established due to Armed Aggression.
Victims of sexual violence
A separate category is people who have experienced sexual violence related to the conflict. The law recognizes the right to the status of a victim for those who have suffered such violence as a result of aggression, starting from February 20, 2014. In 2024, as part of a pilot project, together with the Global Fund for those who have suffered violence, victims were paid interim urgent reparations – 3,000 euros. After the completion of the pilot, you can apply through the Damage Register in the Diia application under category A2.4, and the Ministry of Social Policy is working on bylaws for a permanent mechanism. Free psychological, legal, and medical assistance is provided by the Coordination Center for the Support of Victims and Witnesses of War Crimes at the Office of the Prosecutor General. Support is also provided by public organizations – among them, “Let’s Go, Sisters”, which works with women, and the Network of Men who have Suffered Captivity and Torture.
Where to apply
The search and return are coordinated by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, whose powers have been extended to civilians since 2024. Families can register in the personal cabinet of the headquarters and enter complete information about their loved one, which accelerates the search, and step-by-step recommendations are collected in the Roadmap of Actions for Families. The application for the disappearance is accepted by the National Police by calling 102, the status is confirmed by an extract from the Unified Register, the pension is issued by the Pension Fund, and social payments and assistance are provided by social protection agencies. The hotline of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights works around the clock – 0 800 50 17 20. Public and human rights organizations help collect documents, pass expert commissions, and appeal refusals, which often simplifies the path for families through bureaucratic procedures at the most difficult time.
The Coordination Headquarters separately warns families against scammers who offer to return a loved one or accelerate the exchange for money. Any such proposals from unknown persons are a scam, so it is not worth transferring funds or providing personal data to third parties. Suspicious appeals should be reported to the headquarters and law enforcement agencies.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the status of a missing person mean under special circumstances? This is an official recognition that the whereabouts of a person are unknown due to hostilities, armed conflict, or temporary occupation. The status does not mean death: the person may be in captivity, in a hospital, or evacuated. It is granted from the moment of entry into the Unified Register of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances.
How to obtain the status of a missing person? First, an application is submitted to the police immediately after losing contact – there is no need to wait a few days. The police open a search, the family applies to the Authorized Person for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, after which the data is entered into the Unified Register, usually within thirty days, and an extract is issued. This document opens access to payments and benefits.
What payments do families of military personnel receive? The military retains monthly financial support for the entire period of absence, and an additional reward of 100,000 hryvnias is provided for the performance of combat missions. From 2026, a single boundary of support operates – 15 million hryvnias per family, regardless of status, and part of the funds are reserved in case the military returns from captivity.
Who is entitled to a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner and how much is it? The right is held by disabled family members – children, parents, husband, or wife. It arises a month after entry into the register. From March 1, 2026, the minimum support is at least 12,810 hryvnias per person and at least 10,020 hryvnias for each recipient if the payment is appointed to several family members.
What payments are provided for families of missing civilians? The main support for dependents is a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner and state social assistance. Separately, the family can declare the damages caused through the Damage Register in the Diia application.
What support is available for those released from captivity? Military personnel are guaranteed free treatment and rehabilitation through reintegration centers. For civilians, from January 1, 2026, a one-time payment of 50,000 hryvnias, psychological rehabilitation, and legal support are provided.
