People are abducted from their homes and at checkpoints, and transported to Crimea or Russia. Many are held in complete isolation — without access to lawyers, without contact with their families, and without even official confirmation of their detention.
These people are invisible. But they exist. And their families are waiting.
In June, we held a human rights event, "Invisible in Captivity", bringing together families, experts, government officials, and international partners. We addressed the widespread issue of civilians being held incommunicado and presented an analytical brief based on the experiences of 44 families who have been searching for their loved ones for years.
Full report available here:
👉 https://relativespp.org/analytic/nevidimi-v-rosiyskiy-nevoli-analiz-nezakonnogo-utrimannya-civilnih-u-rezhimi-inkomunikado-svidchennya-rodin-i-vikliki-vstanovlennya-misceznahodzhennya
⚠️ All participants agreed on one conclusion:
The current state system does not provide effective search mechanisms, coordination, or adequate support for families of the disappeared.
We state the following:
🔹 Fragmented government response. Families are forced to contact dozens of agencies, each operating in isolation. There is no unified protocol or responsible institution.
🔹 Formalism and silence. Families receive generic replies or no response at all to their inquiries.
🔹 Lack of support. Legal, psychological, informational. Families disappear along with their loved ones — into silence, despair, and exhaustion.
🔹 OSINT and testimonies are often the only sources of information. It is these tools — not state structures — that sometimes offer a chance to learn about the fate of the disappeared.
📢 In this context, we publicly appeal to:
🟦 Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine:
▪️ Establish an interagency coordination center for missing persons' families, operating on a one-stop-shop principle;
▪️ Provide a team of OSINT analysts within the center;
▪️ Implement local-level support (via CNAPs/resilience centers);
▪️ Launch a national program for psychological support.
🟨 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine:
▪️ Seek the designation of a protecting power under the Geneva Conventions;
▪️ Strengthen cooperation with international bodies (ICRC, WGEID, UN, etc.).
🟥 Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War:
▪️ Create a mechanism for sharing information from released individuals with families;
▪️ Ensure proper verification and documentation of testimonies.
🟩 Commissioner for Missing Persons:
▪️ Develop a clear communication protocol for families;
▪️ Launch an awareness campaign on available state mechanisms.
🔵 Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine:
▪️ Ensure quality pre-trial investigations using family and journalist testimonies;
▪️ Enable remote applications via consulates and online platforms;
▪️ Involve the Ukrainian diaspora in search efforts.
🟣 Parliamentary Human Rights Ombudsman:
▪️ Enhance monitoring of Russian refusals and document violations to enable future international action.
🌍 We also call on the international community to:
▪️ Apply continuous public and diplomatic pressure on Russia to disclose information about civilian hostages;
▪️ Support OSINT research, documentation efforts, and legal aid;
▪️ Participate in building secure information-sharing mechanisms through neutral platforms such as the ICRC, WGEID, etc.
🧭 Our message is simple:
Families searching for their loved ones should not be left alone.
They do not need empty expressions of sympathy — they need a state program.
They do not need backdoor support — they need a public stance.
They do not need silence — they need answers.
📩 If your family has been affected by enforced disappearance, contact us.
We will help with documentation, support, and advocacy.
