Russians are seeking answers about hundreds of missing individuals following Ukraine's military operation in the Kursk region in 2024. Lyubov, a resident of the Sudzha area, is one of many families struggling with the loss of a loved one. Her mother disappeared after Ukrainian forces entered the region, and Lyubov blames Russian state media for influencing her mother’s decision to stay. The local governor estimates that over 300 Russians are still unaccounted for in the Kursk region, though the exact number remains unclear. Ukrainian forces captured more than 777 square kilometers of Russian territory within six days of the incursion, causing widespread disruption to communication networks for the following eight months. The Russian foreign ministry accused Ukraine of committing war crimes against civilians, a claim Ukraine denied. Nearly 200 Russians sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the United Nations, requesting a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians. However, the corridor never materialized, leaving many families in limbo. By late autumn 2024, Russian forces launched an operation to reclaim the territory, leading to renewed fighting. Families of the missing began organizing to seek information about their loved ones. One resident compiled a list of names from videos released by the Ukrainian military and journalists, eventually reaching around 1,000 names. Lyubov sought help from the Red Cross and the Kursk interior ministry, but received no response. In early 2025, Russia’s human rights commissioner published a list of 517 Kursk residents reported missing. However, the list included names of people searching for their relatives, which many families found deeply offensive. A young woman whose parents had disappeared described the publication as "the height of incompetence and a lack of basic respect for people." Heavy fighting was reported in late 2024 in the village of Darino, where Lyubov and her mother had lived. Authorities stated that 90% of the village was destroyed. Russian forces eventually regained control and began evacuating survivors, collecting the bodies of those who had died. An evacuee informed Lyubov that her mother had died from a head injury, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. Other elderly residents also perished due to the harsh conditions of war. Lyubov waited in vain for her mother’s body to be retrieved, while other families remained uncertain about the fate of their loved ones. Volunteers, including Yuri Tkachev, the head of a local village council, helped retrieve civilian bodies using their own resources. Despite meeting with regional officials, relatives felt little progress was made. In October 2025, Lyubov visited the mortuary in Kursk and identified her mother’s body in a photograph. She had provided a DNA sample in January, but it was reportedly lost, leaving her mother’s body unidentified for several months. Lyubov’s mother was later cremated, and her ashes are now in Lyubov’s apartment in Belgorod. She expressed deep bitterness over the government’s failure to prevent the incursion and its lack of evacuation efforts. The Kursk governor, Russia’s human rights commissioner, and the Russian Red Cross did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces and Ukraine’s human rights commissioner stated that all civilians evacuated from the Kursk region had been handed over to Russia. Lyubov recalls a time when she could freely cross the border into Ukraine for shopping, but now, she notes, none of the villages from that time exist anymore.