For over five years since the armed conflict in the Donbas erupted, each day for families looking for their missing relatives has been a struggle. On 30 August, we recognize the pain of hundreds of those families, the hope that each of them nourishes as well as their dedication to finding news about their beloved ones.

 

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

The family members of the missing people gathered on Sofiyivska square in Kyiv to remember about their relatives who disappeared in the Donbas conflict. As of 30 August, over 700 families are still looking for their beloved ones with the support of the ICRC and the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

Florence Gillette, Head of the ICRC Delegation in Ukraine welcomes the families of the missing people, representatives of the authorities and the international community on the ceremony dedicated to the people unaccounted for and their families who tirelessly search for their dear ones.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

A young Ukrainian singer Oleksandra Kariagina, who goes by the stage name Shy, dedicated her new song to the families of the missing. The song represents an imaginary dialogue between the missing person and his beloved one.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

Members of the Theatre Studio Splash joined the families whose relatives are unaccounted for, having presented a symbolic performance.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

The theatre performance projected the everyday struggle of the relatives who desperately search for their loved ones and grasp every piece of news that might bring them answers.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

The relatives of the missing took the stage to share their feelings through sons and poetry. Oleksandr Kovalchuk devoted his music and lyrics to his missing wife.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

People attending the ceremony on the International day of the disappeared shared the words of compassion and support with the families searching for their relatives on the cards designed as a collage of portraits of those who went missing due to the Donbas conflict.

Oleg Gerasymenko/ICRC

People who gathered on the Sofiyivska square to remember about those who went missing because of the conflict in the east of Ukraine joined the circle of support with the families who still search for their loved ones.