Whereabouts of 79 Missing Ukrainian Service Members Confirmed by Russian Officials

Moscow Provides Answers on Missing Ukrainian Troops

According to Рубрика — Суспільство: The fate of missing soldiers has become one of the war's most painful humanitarian issues. In talks between Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and Russian ombudswoman Yana Lantratova, the Russian side confirmed the whereabouts of 79 Ukrainian servicemen who had previously been listed as missing. The negotiations covered several topics, including prisoner exchange processes, systematic monitoring of detention sites for POWs, prioritizing the release of POWs who have suffered, exchanges of letters, and humanitarian cases involving illegally held civilians.

Russia's ombuds office, for its part, had established where the 79 servicemen are; they had gone missing under special circumstances. Lantratova said she had visited multiple places where Ukrainian POWs are held and decided to set up ongoing monitoring of these facilities with the involvement of regional structures. Lubinets separately underlined the need to prioritize the release of POWs who have suffered.

The commissioner also said he is awaiting a response to a letter from families of POWs from Olenivka, which he had delivered at the prior meeting. During the talks, both sides exchanged correspondence: Ukrainian POWs received letters from their relatives, and the defenders gave letters to pass on to their own families. A proposed international monitoring mission involving foreign ombudsmen remains under discussion, as does the possibility of letting Ukrainian POWs telephone their relatives.

“The most important result of these talks is that our people are home, and their relatives can finally hug them.”

Dmytro Lubinets

Having the locations of missing Ukrainian troops confirmed gives their families a degree of clarity and could provide a basis for further negotiations on prisoner exchanges. It also demonstrates that the two sides are able to hold a dialogue during wartime and opens possibilities for humanitarian measures that can ease the situation of POWs and their loved ones. Regular monitoring of detention facilities may become an important step toward safeguarding prisoners' rights and improving their living conditions.