Inaccuracies in government’s missing persons list outrage refugees in Russia’s Kursk region

Since a surprise Ukrainian offensive last August displaced thousands of people in Russia’s Kursk region and left an unknown number under military occupation, refugees and missing persons’ relatives have lobbied the Russian state to do more to identify those unaccounted for. This week, Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova released a list of 517 missing individuals in the region, but locals say it leaves off many of the missing and includes the names of several people who aren’t missing at all. 

According to the news outlet 7x7, the list features missing persons’ relatives, people who successfully evacuated from towns that fell to Ukrainian troops, and even a woman whose death has been confirmed. 

Residents have spent months pressuring the state to address problems caused by Ukraine’s invasion and occupation of the Kursk region’s border territories. The authorities’ shoddy cataloging of missing persons has only exacerbated public outrage.