On August 27, 2025, a field meeting in the city of Belz was held by representatives of the Western Regional Center of the Coordination Headquarters for Handling Prisoners of War with the families of the imprisoned and missing Ukrainian Defenders.
The meeting began with a prayer conducted by Father Bohdan Holod. Representatives of the Coordination Headquarters, Andriy Panasyuk and Serhiy Khaletskyi, informed the families about the headquarters’ activities, provided explanations on actions to take when relatives are captured, and responded to numerous questions. The relatives of the heroes had the opportunity to receive necessary consultations.
In an online format via Zoom, the event was joined by the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights and the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine. Also present at the event were representatives from the TCC and SP, the National Police, Pension Fund, medical workers, as well as representatives of local government bodies, including Deputy Mayor for executive bodies of the council, Mariia Grementa, and Head of the Social Protection Department of the Belz City Council Executive Committee, Svitlana Kruta.
Andriy Panasyuk addressed the relatives of the missing and prisoners of war, providing detailed information on the activities of the Coordination Headquarters. He noted that one of the key areas of work is the liberation of Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity, as well as the repatriation of deceased defenders’ bodies. Necessary DNA tests are conducted thereafter, which may take from several months to a year, and in case of a match, relatives receive official notification.
The speaker also emphasized the importance of communication between families and investigators and the transmission of even minor information about missing defenders to the headquarters, including from social networks. All information is checked, added to a unified system, and used for further actions. The meeting concluded with individual consultations, during which headquarters and state body representatives provided answers to all questions from the attendees.