"Is My Husband Alive?"... Desperate Calls Coming from Ukraine

A father saying goodbye to his daughter at Kyiv Station in Ukraine.
[Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] Calls are continuing to confirm the whereabouts and safety of families who have lost contact since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Fox News on the 18th (local time), the Ukrainian National Intelligence Service has established and is operating a hotline for people seeking information about the dead or missing since the war began.

Irina Vereshchuk, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, stated in a press release that day, "This hotline was initially created to collect information and facilitate communication regarding participants in the war," adding, "Those who want to know news about civilians, including soldiers, can call and we will assist."

Earlier, Ukraine's Ministry of the Interior also launched a Telegram channel providing information about participants in the war. This channel discloses information about Russian soldiers who were deployed to the battlefield and have been captured, injured, or killed.

Ukrainian civic activist Viktor Andrushiv, who helped establish this channel, explained the reason for its creation: "Russia is completely controlling communication with its soldiers and is not informing families about their situations," adding, "We decided to release data so that their identities can be identified."

Vadym Denysenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of the Interior, also told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE) that "Russia showed no response to questions about the remains of the fallen."

According to Andrushiv, the channel has 700,000 subscribers, 90% of whom are Russian. Andrushiv explained, "Since the channel was created, we have received about 12,000 contacts and provided information on 217 prisoners or deceased."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is conducting negotiations for a ceasefire with Russia.

On the 19th (local time), according to major foreign media, President Zelenskyy said in a video address, "It is time to meet now. It is time to talk."

President Zelenskyy urged Russia for meaningful peace and security talks, stating, "This is the only chance to reduce the losses Russia has suffered since the invasion."

Ukraine and Russia have been holding their fourth round of peace talks for several days. Russia is demanding Ukraine's neutrality and abandonment of NATO membership. Ukraine has also expressed that it will no longer pursue NATO membership.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.