Russians seek answers over hundreds missing after Ukraine's 2024 incursion

Key Points:

• Lyubov, a resident of Russia's Kursk region, has become resentful towards the Russian state after losing contact with her mother following a Ukrainian military incursion over two years ago, which saw Ukraine briefly capture over 777 sq km of Russian territory.
• Russian authorities estimate around 2,000 people remained in the captured settlements, but communication was cut for months, and over 300 Russians are reported missing, with the true number unknown.
• Families like Lyubov’s struggled to get information or assistance from Russian officials, facing bureaucratic failures such as inaccurate missing persons lists and unresponsiveness to appeals for help.
• After heavy fighting destroyed much of the village of Darino, where Lyubov’s mother lived, she died from a head injury; her body remained unidentified in a mortuary for months due to lost DNA records before Lyubov finally confirmed her death.
• Lyubov criticizes the Russian government for failing to prevent the incursion, evacuate residents timely, and for state media propaganda that downplayed the severity of the situation, reflecting broader frustrations among locals affected by the conflict.