Europe | Fate unknown

Russia is disappearing vast numbers of Ukrainians

Thousands have vanished into exile, prison or death

BORODIANKA, UKRAINE - MAY 24: A woman walks past a poster seeking information on local people who went missing during the Russian invasion on May 24, 2022 in Borodianka, Ukraine. As Russia concentrates its attack on the east and south of the country, residents of the Kyiv region are returning to assess the war's toll on their communities. The towns around the capital were heavily damaged following weeks of brutal war as Russia made its failed bid to take Kyiv. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Jul 7th 2022

When russia occupied Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, in February, most residents fled. But a baker named Matviy stayed to help his neighbours. (The names of the disappeared and their families have been changed for their protection.) On March 18th Russian soldiers burst into his home and took him away at gunpoint, says his sister Natalia: “We have not heard from him since.” Ukraine’s overwhelmed police, prosecutors and human-rights groups have been unable to help.

Bucha is the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of Ukrainians have been abducted from Russian-occupied areas, including activists, journalists and humanitarian workers. Journalists Serhey Tsyhipa and Oleh Baturin were seized on March 12th while reporting on atrocities committed by Russian forces. “They were taken to an unknown place with bags on their heads,” says Anastasia, Mr Tsyhipa’s step-daughter. Mr Tsyhipa eventually appeared on Russian state tv looking thin and spouting Kremlin propaganda.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Fate unknown"