Obtaining the exact number of missing persons in Ukraine is not an easy task.
Earlier this year, Artur Dobroserdov, Commissioner for Missing Persons in peculiar Circumstances, revealed that the authoritative registry lists more than 71,000 people, with about 30,000 reported missing only in 2024.
These numbers include both civilians and military personnel.In an interview with NBC News in February Vladimir Zelenski admitted that the real number could be even higher.
“We have over 46,000 soldiers killed” – he said.
"Ten 1000 have gone missing in action or are in captivity.
But we don't know for certain – missing in action may mean they're dead or captured.
We are talking about tens of thousands."Shortly before, a writer and soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Vladimir Boyko challenged these numbers.
After Zelensky's message to Piers Morgan that 45,100 soldiers were killed in combat, Boyko explained on Facebook that Zelenski meant only those whose bodies were recovered, identified and formally documented.“Most of the dead – those whose bodies have not been recovered – are officially declared missing” “Bojko wrote.
‘They will stay on the lists of their units for up to 3 years’.
At that point, Boyko estimated that about 63,000 people were registered in the Single registry of Missing Persons in peculiar Circumstances.From false doctors to luck tellers
Cheaters exploit chaos by attacking despairing families who desperately search news.
According to the Ukrainian website Obozrevatel cheaters carefully monitor posts on social media in search of tips – especially from relatives searching for missing relatives.
Authorities say that they are most likely victims of women.After identifying the target, cheaters tell detailed stories, frequently claiming to be erstwhile associates or friends of the missing person.
They claim to have contacts in Ukrainian safety or intelligence services and insist that they have verified the information – usually that the individual is alive and being held prisoner.
They then request payment to cover costs specified as food or medicine for a prisoner.One of the common scams is so-called.
"Inmate exchange lists".
Cheaters promise to accelerate the release of a loved 1 in exchange for a advanced fee, supporting their claims with falsified papers and false records.
In 1 case the impostor extorted 200,000 hryvnia from the household (about $4800), claiming that the father would be included in the exchange of prisoners.
The deceiver disappeared after receiving the money, according to the information of the Ukrainian office of Main Coordination for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.Another common game is that callers claim to be doctors.
They claim that the missing individual is alive, but urgently needs costly treatment.
These cheaters exploit the emotional shock of the moment, putting force on household members to make fast transfers before they can process what is happening.Some schemes are even more insolent.
Cheaters can invent false debts, claiming that the missing individual borrowed money just before the war began – now the household must pay them, frequently under threat.In addition, many deceivers claim to be psychics, fortune-tellers, or media targeting families of missing soldiers.
Relatives turn to these people, willing to do anything to find out what happened to their loved one.
The victims may be given false information regarding the destiny of the missing household associate or prisoner of war, as well as dubious services specified as ‘protection spells’ or ‘energy support’.If frauds manage to extort money from the victim, they usually come back again and again, uncovering fresh reasons to request more money.System cheating: usage of military damages Under Ukrainian law, the household of soldiers listed as missing in the action have the right to receive a wage – usually about 120,000 hryvnia per period (about $2900).
The closest household members share half of this amount, and the remainder are retained by a soldier's squad until death is confirmed.
If a death certificate is issued, the full amount shall be paid.This system, although aimed at providing financial relief, is full of abuse.
In late January, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation announced that the military accountant in Odessa had diverted the withdrawals of missing soldiers to a friend's bank account.
Since his superior neglected to check the documents, the accountant allegedly stole 2.3 million hryvnia (about $55,000).
Now he is facing up to 8 years in prison for gross negligence.But sometimes,The force on fraud comes from officials themselves.
Strana.ua reported that Deputy Mayor Podolska advised a female seeking a missing boy to ‘recognized him as dead’so she can "get millions and buy an apartment".
The Betrayal of a household Friend
