World News

Hundreds of Russian residents remain missing after 2024 Kursk incursion

Over 300 residents remain unaccounted for after Ukraine's offensive, according to BBC News.

Updated Sep 13, 2026 · 00:47 UTC1 reports

The short version

More than 300 people remain missing in Russia's Kursk region after Ukraine's 2024 cross-border offensive, according to the local governor.[BBC News]
Relatives have criticized state management after a published official list of 517 missing individuals conflated seekers with those who vanished.[BBC News]
Russian officials initially calculated that around 2,000 residents stayed behind in areas occupied by Ukrainian forces.[BBC News]
The precise total of missing civilians remains undetermined, though Ukrainian officials maintain that all civilians they evacuated were returned to Russia.[BBC News]

The local governor stated that more than 300 Russians remain missing in the Kursk region following Ukraine's 2024 incursion, though the true figure is uncertain.[BBC News]
Russian authorities estimated that approximately 2,000 people remained in settlements captured by Ukraine's military.[BBC News]
Russia's human rights commissioner published a list of 517 missing residents in early 2025, which faced backlash for mixing up missing individuals with people searching for them.[BBC News]
Ukrainian defence officials and Ukraine's human rights commissioner asserted that all civilians evacuated from Kursk have been returned to Russia.[BBC News]
Russia's foreign ministry accused Ukrainian forces of war crimes against civilians, which Kyiv rejected as unfounded.[BBC News]

The actual total number of missing individuals remains unknown beyond the governor's estimate of over 300.[BBC News]
Russian accusations of war crimes committed against civilians by Ukraine remain disputed and unverified, having been dismissed by Kyiv.[BBC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.