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

Lyubov's eyes well up as she recalls the last time she spoke to her mother. Just a day after Ukrainian forces broke into Russia's Kursk region over two years ago. The conversation was laced with desperation and frustration, a sentiment that has become all too familiar for many in this war-torn region.

Lyubov's faith in the Russian state has been irreparably shattered, replaced.

Kursk Region Once Thriving Community

The Kursk region, once a thriving community, is now a scene of devastation and uncertainty. More than 300 Russians are still missing. With no reliable figure ever provided Lyubov's own mother was among those who refused to leave their village in the Sudzha area.

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Despite her daughter's pleas for safety. "The state channels were convincing viewers that 'everything is under control: two or three days, and it'll be just as it was before'," she recalls, still struggling to understand why Russian authorities failed to prevent Ukrainian soldiers from storming border checkpoints and taking prisoners.

As the war rages on, the humanitarian situation in Kursk has only worsened. Mobile and internet links were down for most of the next eight months, leaving families without a lifeline to their loved ones. Nearly 200 Russians sent a letter to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and the United Nations, pleading for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians. However, this desperate cry for help fell on deaf ears.

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Lyubovs Own Efforts Find Her

Lyubov's own efforts to find her mother's fate have been met with frustration and silence from the authorities. She joined a group of like-minded individuals who had lost contact with their loved ones. Compiling a list of those believed to have died and where they were buried.

"At first, in a panic, you try to do something – anything – to find some sort of information," she said. "Taking action brings a certain sense of relief, and that's how you can cope with the stress." Despite her efforts, Lyubov remains uncertain about her mother's fate, leaving her with a deep sense of loss and longing.