Russians see record surge in requests for missing soldiers in Ukraine in March

The highest number of requests in March regarding missing Russian soldiers came from the 74th and 15th separate motorized rifle brigades of the Russian Armed Forces.

The report also highlighted the largest losses of Russian troops in the Pokrovsk district, with 2,144 requests, and in the Bakhmut district, where 933 requests were received.

Additionally, 141 servicemen from a marine brigade are being sought after they went missing in Kursk Oblast.

Requests from relatives in Russian republics, especially Bashkortostan, also increased in March, with 469 inquiries — up 30% from February.

The report further noted that 2,057 Russian soldiers are currently being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.

This allows their families to demand that the Russian authorities recognize their status and work for their return.

Of those, 529 have already been exchanged for Ukrainian defenders previously held by Russia.

On March 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the return of 175 Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that 197 Ukrainians had been released — 175 during the exchange and 22 through special events.

The exchange was confirmed following a phone call between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18, in which Putin agreed to the 175-for-175 prisoner swap.

Later, on March 22, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the Russian prisoners of war who returned to Russia on March 19 had no complaints about their treatment while in Ukrainian custody.

One of the Russian prisoners shared in a video that he had been treated well and had his health restored while in Ukraine.

The project of the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War, launched in January 2024, continues to provide crucial information about the status of Russian military personnel held in Ukraine.