Over 800 children reported missing across Russia over summer

A total of 803 children were reported missing across Russia between June and August, according to figures published by the missing-person service Gde moi deti. 

The Moscow region and the city of Moscow recorded the highest number of missing children, with 71 cases reported during the summer. Of those, 66 children were found alive, while two were found dead. Searches for three other children were still underway, according to the data.

Other regions with high numbers of reported missing children included: 54 children in Khabarovsk Krai; 53 in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast; 52 in Primorsky Krai; and 50 children in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Nationwide, 760 of the 803 missing children were subsequently found alive, while 24 were found dead. The whereabouts of another 19 children remained unknown at the time the figures were compiled.

The organisation cautioned that Russia does not have a single standardised system for recording missing-child cases. As a result, statistics published by different search and volunteer organisations may differ.

By Sabina Mammadli