In brief
Relatives of Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine endure agonizing uncertainty as the government lacks a formal process to locate missing troops, leaving families to fend for themselves.
Elvira Kaipova had not heard from her son Rafael, a soldier in Ukraine, for months. In November, she was told by military officials that Rafael was on active duty and unable to communicate. Two days later, she discovered through a Telegram channel designed for military families that her son had gone missing. An officer from Rafael's unit informed her, “We lost your son,” but provided few details on how to proceed in searching for him. Kaipova's fears echoed a wider reality faced by countless families in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defense has no organized mechanism to account for numerous missing soldiers, leaving relatives in a devastating limbo without substantial government support.Despite attempts to seek clarification, access to information remains severely restricted. The Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comments, highlighting the bleak situation facing families of service members.
