Ukraine Identifies 37,000 Missing, Warns Figure Higher
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published April 16, 2024 | 08:46 PM
Ukraine said Tuesday it had identified almost 37,000 people, including military personnel, who are unaccounted for since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, warning the actual figure may be "much higher"
Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Apr, 2024) Ukraine said Tuesday it had identified almost 37,000 people, including military personnel, who are unaccounted for since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, warning the actual figure may be "much higher".
Calculating the exact number of missing is difficult, as Russian forces still occupy around a fifth of the country and neither side regularly releases data on military casualties.
"Almost 37,000 people are considered missing -- children, civilians and military. These figures may be much higher," Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.
He said Ukraine and the Red Cross had identified about 1,700 people "illegally detained" by Russia, which he accused of "abducting civilians" since 2014, when war with Moscow-backed separatists in the country's east first broke out.
Human rights groups have accused Russia of forced disappearances and abducting children in occupied areas, accusations the Kremlin has rejected.
Large swathes of Ukrainian territory have remained under Russian occupation since the beginning of the war, which has devastated whole towns and cities and killed thousands.
The United Nations' human rights office said in its March report that since Russia's invasion, at least 10,810 people had been killed, including over 8,000 in areas controlled by Ukraine.
The actual number of casualties is likely "considerably higher" and difficult to verify, as independent observers are blocked from accessing occupied areas, it added.
In a rare statement on military losses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the first two years of the war.
Recent Stories
Wembanyama in France: NBA Spurs to play Pacers in Paris in January
Russian missile kills two in Ukraine's Odesa: governor
Dutch Embassy celebrates King Willem-Alexander's birthday
Need of concrete steps stressed for safe, nutritious milk availability
Scotland's leader Yousaf quits after a year
Services of GDA Pakistan China Friendship Hospital launched
Mining giants Vale, BHP propose $25 bn settlement over Brazil dam collapse
Georgia ruling party stages mass rally to counter protests
Bayern ready for 'extraordinary' Bellingham, says Tuchel
PTI leaders get interim bail
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 2nd update
French actor Depardieu released after sexual assault questioning
More Stories From World
-
Tesla wins key China security clearance during Musk visit
34 minutes ago -
Football: South African Premiership table
34 minutes ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 3rd update
34 minutes ago -
Football: South African Premiership result
34 minutes ago -
Nadal keeps his clay dream alive as he battles past Cachin
44 minutes ago -
Campaigning EU chief defends record during debate
44 minutes ago
-
US, Mexican presidents order 'concrete' border steps: statement
54 minutes ago -
Global pandemic agreement talks in race against time
54 minutes ago -
Gaza protesters defy Columbia deadline to leave campus
2 hours ago -
Russian missile kills two in Ukraine's Odesa: governor
3 hours ago -
Scotland's leader Yousaf quits after a year
3 hours ago -
Mining giants Vale, BHP propose $25 bn settlement over Brazil dam collapse
3 hours ago