Russians seek answers over hundreds missing after Ukraine's 2024 incursion
Russian citizens are seeking information about hundreds of people missing in the Kursk region following a 2024 Ukrainian military incursion. Families express frustration with the Russian government's lack of transparency and the impact of state media narratives on the situation.
Why it matters
The report highlights the domestic social impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the limitations of state-controlled information during wartime.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Russian families complain their government did little to help locate the missing
"I used to have complete faith in our country," says Lyubov. The last time she spoke to her mother was a day after Ukrainian forces broke into Russia's Kursk region more than two years ago.
Now she feels "resentful towards the [Russian] state", in a country where most people avoid criticising the full-scale invasion unleashed on Ukraine in February 2022.
The local governor says more than 300 Russians are still missing in Kursk region, but no-one really knows the true figure.
Lyubov says she tried to persuade her mother to leave her village in the Sudzha area, but blames Russian state TV "propaganda" for her refusal to listen. Some 2,000 people remained in the settlements captured by Ukraine's military, Russian authorities estimate.
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