Mothers Seek Answers on Missing Ukrainians Amid Ongoing Conflict

Kyiv, Ukraine — Four years have passed since Ukraine was invaded, leaving many individuals in institutional settings unaccounted for. Hanna Zamyshliaieva, along with two other women, is tirelessly seeking answers regarding her missing severely disabled son.

“I am here to fight for the return of my child,” Ms. Zamyshliaieva declared at a news conference on Tuesday. Her son vanished in southern Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion. She is unaware of his whereabouts, condition, or if he is alive.

The news conference, held in Kyiv, aimed to publicize their plight. These women represent hundreds of Ukrainians who disappeared from residential facilities and other institutions. Their family members, all in their 20s, were residing in a specialized care home in Oleshky, Kherson at the time of the invasion. Despite attempts to communicate, the families received no information about their loved ones’ transfer.

The forced deportation of Ukrainians, especially children, remains one of the war’s most troubling issues for the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian authorities report that 19,500 children were forcibly removed or deported from educational and care institutions following the invasion. This act led to a war crimes arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of involvement in these deportations.