{
  "id": 7020061,
  "title": "Russians seek answers over hundreds missing after Ukraine's 2024 incursion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/russians-seek-answers-over-hundreds-missing-after-ukraines-2024",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-12T23:51:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62ene9kr71o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lyubov, a resident of Kursk, had always believed in her country's strength until Russian forces invaded the region in 2022. Now, she feels resentful towards the Russian state, especially after over 300 people went missing in the Kursk region. The local governor reports the figure of missing persons, but the true number remains unknown. Lyubov tried to convince her mother to leave her village in the Sudzha area, but her mother's resistance to leaving stemmed from Russian state TV propaganda. Over 2,000 people remained in settlements captured by Ukrainian forces, according to Russian estimates. Lyubov recalls how state channels convinced her that everything would return to normal in just two or three days, but this did not happen. Ukrainian soldiers stormed two border checkpoints in August 2024, taking about 40 prisoners and bombing a convoy carrying Russian soldiers. Within six days, they had overrun more than 777 square kilometers of Russian territory. For eight months, mobile and internet links were down. Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes against civilians, allegations dismissed in Kyiv as baseless. A letter signed by nearly 200 Russians was sent to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the United Nations, asking for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians. However, the request was never fulfilled. In early 2025, Russia's human rights commissioner published a list of 517 Kursk residents reported missing, but the families found it to be an insult. The Russian military regained control of the village of Darino and began evacuating survivors and their bodies. Lyubov's mother was among those who died during the conflict, and her body remained unidentified in the mortuary for several months. Despite multiple attempts, Lyubov could not get any answers from authorities. The head of a local village council, Yuri Tkachev, expressed frustration with the lack of action and support for the families of the missing.",
  "summary": "Officials say more than 300 Russians remain missing after the 2024 Kursk offensive, but no-one really knows the true figure.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Russians seek answers over hundreds missing after Ukraine's 2024 incursion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/russians-seek-answers-over-hundreds-missing-after-ukraines-2024-7081661",
        "published": "2026-09-12T23:51:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}