In Ukraine, the collection of DNA from relatives of missing children begins for the creation of a single national genetic database.
The problem of missing children during the war remains one of the most acute and disturbing challenges for Ukrainian society. The war caused large-scale deportations, forced displacement and mass separation of families, particularly in the temporarily occupied territories. Thousands of children are still considered missing, and in most cases there are no effective mechanisms to establish their whereabouts. The complexity of the situation is aggravated by the fact that Russia does not provide access to information about displaced persons, and the procedure for establishing the identity is often impossible due to the change of documents, names and conditions of maintenance of children.
In response to these calls on May 5, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine started a new initiative — collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing children to create a single national genetic database. This step was called critically important, because even if the name, date of birth, citizenship or any other personal data changes, the genetic code remains unchanged. This, as emphasized in the department, is the main condition for establishing a family connection, confirming the identity and returning the abducted child to the native family.
All collected DNA profiles will be entered into a specially protected database of the National Police. As noted in the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this database was created exclusively for the search and identification of missing, deported or displaced children, and will be used only for this purpose.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs appeals to the relatives of children who disappeared during the war, with a request to contact the National Police to submit DNA samples. This will allow information to be stored for identification even after many years, in case the child is suddenly found or returns to the controlled territory by himself.
In parallel with this, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine announced the creation of a separate state register — the Register of information on deported or forcibly displaced children. It should become an additional tool for systematization, documentation and coordination of efforts to find minors.
The director of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Daria Zarivna, emphasized that the real number of children deported from Ukraine significantly exceeds the officially documented cases. According to her, Russia openly announced the removal of 744 thousand children, but Ukraine cannot confirm this data, as Russia ignores requests and does not provide any official information to the Ukrainian side or international structures.
According to various estimates, there may be at least 20,000 Ukrainian children on the territory of the Russian Federation and in the occupied areas. The official estimates of Dmytro Lubinets, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, and Daria Gerasymchuk, Commissioner for Children’s Rights, range from 150,000 to 300,000. Despite these dire numbers, Ukraine’s efforts to return children are yielding results. As of February 26, 2025, it was possible to return 1,227 children deported to Russia or relocated to the occupied territories.
The initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to create a DNA bank of relatives of missing children is an important step towards a systematic solution to the problem. It is designed to give families a chance to find their children, even if the search takes years. Every DNA sample collected is the hope that one more child will come home.
