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'''Look for Your Own''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: '''''Ищи своих''''', '''''Ishchi Svoikh''''') is a humanitarian Internet project created on the initiative of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine)|Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine]] to identify captured and killed soldiers of the [[Russian army]] during the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Balachuk |first=Iryna |date=2022-02-27 |title=Website 200rf.com launched for Russians to find family members captured in killed in action during the invasion of Ukraine |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/02/27/7326424/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |language=en}}</ref>
According to the creators, the project is designed to allow Russian citizens to find their relatives who were sent to the war in Ukraine by the [[Government of Russia|Russian government]] and learn about their fate. The project was incentivized by the fact that [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Russia's Ministry of Defence]] has given no details of any military losses at first<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=AFP |date=2022-02-27 |title=Ukraine Launches Website for Russians to Find Killed Soldiers |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-launches-website-for-russians-to-find-killed-soldiers-a76628 |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=The Moscow Times |language=en}}</ref> and has omitted the actual number of dead and captured Russian soldiers on the territory of Ukraine later. Russia has also been ignoring Ukraine's requests for a mission to transfer the corpses to Russia.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Chraibi |first=Christine |date=2022-02-27 |title=Ukraine launches hotline, site for families of Russian killed & captured soldiers |url=https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-launches-hotline-site-for-families-of-russian-killed-captured-soldiers/ |website=[[Euromaidan Press]]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Schreck |first=Carl |date=2022-02-27 |title='Mama, I Didn't Want To Come': Ukraine Asks Russians To ID Their Killed, Captured Relatives |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-pows-prisoners-identification-dead/31726619.html |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en}}</ref> It is also believer that the site aims to undermine the morale and support for the war in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-28 |title=Ukraine-Russia conflict: All you need to know about 200rf.com — the website for Russians to find fallen soldiers |url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/ukraine-launches-website-200rf-com-to-find-fallen-russian-soldiers-what-you-need-to-know-10416451.html |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
The name of the site references the military code [[Cargo 200 (code name)|Cargo-200]] that was used by the Soviet military for corpses being flown back from the [[War in Afghanistan (1979–1989)|war in Afghanistan]] in the 1980s.<ref name=":1" /> The term can also be read as a reference to horror film [[Cargo 200 (film)|under the same title]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Michael |date=2022-03-02 |title=Ukrainian professor and tech CEO now battling Russian cyberattacks from fallout shelter |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-russia-tech-war-kyiv |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref>
"Look for Your Own" is posted on the official website, as well as in the [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] channel. As of March 3, the channel had 700,000 subscribers, 90 percent of them from Russia.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Andrusiv |first=Viktor |date=2022-03-07 |title=The "Look for Your Own" Project: A Response to the Washington Post {{!}} Wilson Center |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/look-your-own-project-response-washington-post |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=www.wilsoncenter.org |language=en}}</ref>
== History ==
On February 24, the Russian Federation carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine as part of the [[Russo-Ukrainian War|Russian-Ukrainian war]]. As of March 13, more than 12,000 Russian servicemen were reported by the [[General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces]] to have been killed<ref>{{Cite web |title=Генштаб повідомив приблизні втрати російських військ на ранок 13 березня |url=https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-henshtab-straty-rosiiskyh-viisk-13-bereznia/31750564.html |website=Радіо Свобода |language=uk |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref>, and more than 700 to be held captive.<ref>{{Cite web |title=У полоні вже перебуває до 700 російських солдатів |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/03/10/7330011/ |website=Українська правда |language=uk |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref>
On February 27, the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine)|Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine]] announced the creation of a special Internet project aimed at helping relatives and friends of the dead or prisoners to find or identify them<ref name=":0" />.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-02 |title=Минобороны России впервые отчиталось о потерях на Украине: погибли 498 военных |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-60593311 |website=BBC News Русская служба |language=ru |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref> The project coordinator is Viktor Andrusiv, an adviser to the Minister of the Interior.<ref name=":4" /> The site publishes videos, photos and documents of prisoners and killed. The authenticity of at least two videos was confirmed by [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Svoboda]] journalists.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Я его сразу узнала". Вместо дембеля – на войну |url=https://www.severreal.org/a/vmesto-dembelya-na-voynu/31732653.html |website=Север.Реалии |language=ru |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref> As well, Ukraine has opened a hotline for families of Russian soldiers who were likely captured as POWs, under the title ''Come back alive from Ukraine!''<ref name=":2" /> Vadym Denysenko, advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, assured that Ukraine treats prisoners humanely and the Interior Ministry is ready to provide a paid service for Russian citizens for DNA identification of the bodies.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Harwell |first=Drew |date=2022-03-03 |title=The gory online campaign Ukraine hopes will sow anti-Putin dissent probably violates the Geneva Conventions |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/03/telegram-russian-war-dead-ukraine-pows/ |website=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>
At the request of [[Roskomnadzor]], the "Look for Your Own" website was blocked in Russia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Роскомнадзор потребовал от Telegram удалить боты о российских военных |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/roskomnadzor-potreboval-ot-telegram-udalitj-boty-o-rossiyskih-voennyh/31734873.html |website=Радио Свобода |language=ru |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> and a request was sent to the Telegram service to remove the channel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Росія вимагає від Telegram видалити ботів для пошуку загиблих та полонених солдатів РФ |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/03/3/7327931/ |website=Українська правда |language=uk |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref>
People's Deputy [[Yevheniya Kravchuk|Yevhenia Kravchuk]] stated that for the first day of work the service received more than 2,000 appeals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Более две тысячи обращений. Россияне ищут родных военных через украинский портал "Ищи своих" |url=https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/dve-tysyachi-obrashcheniy-rossiyane-ishchut-1646045880.html |website=РБК-Украина |language=ru |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref> As of March 2, relatives identified 60 captured soldiers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Росіяни вже впізнали 60 своїх близьких серед полонених військових через сервіс "Ищи своих" – Андрусів |url=https://gordonua.com/ukr/news/war/rosijani-vzhe-vpiznali-60-svojih-blizkih-sered-polonenih-vijskovih-cherez-servis-shukaju-svojih-andrusiv-1597943.html |website=gordonua.com |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref>
A publication in ''The'' ''Washington Post'' suggested that Look for Your Own project may violate provisions of the [[Geneva Conventions]],<ref name=":5" /> to which Viktor Andrusiv, as the project's manager, responded by stressing "exclusively humanitarian function" of the project.<ref name=":4" />
The [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation]] does not comment on the data published by the Internet project.<ref>{{Cite web |title=«Ищи своих»: Украина стала единственным защитником прав российских солдат |url=https://news.israelinfo.co.il/world/101319 |website=Новости Израиля |language=ru |accessdate=2022-03-13}}</ref>
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