From July 6 through 9, a composite search team of the Russian Red Cross was on a mission to border districts of the Kursk region to deliver comprehensive assistance to residents who were staying in the emergency area. The specialists toured the Rylsk, Belov, Lgov and Oboyan districts visiting several dozen households in remote villages, including some situated 5 km from the border. Through a targeted, door-to-door search the team managed to trace 11 people who had been missing since August-September, 2024.
For instance, at one particular address location in the Lgov district staff members from the Russian Red Cross Restoring Family Links (RFL) Service and Emergency Response Department found a family of four, including a woman whose daughter had reported them all as missing. They never left the district but their telephone line was down for a long time. RFL Service specialists helped the family reestablish contact with the daughter, made a specific list of their needs including communications services, medicine and humanitarian aid, and asked if they would require assistance with relocation.
In parallel, as part of the composite team mission, staff members of the RRC Kursk regional branch went to remote communities delivering humanitarian packages and targeted aid, including medical goods and rehabilitation equipment. In addition, RRC staff with medical background performed preventive examination and provided required medical assistance to local residents within the limits of their competence, with special focus on older people and patients with limited mobility.
“From the onset of the Kursk region emergency our assistance was primarily concentrated in the region’s capital city, which was quite logical given a large inflow of requests. Still we were aware that in remote communities there were people who needed help – humanitarian aid in particular. Our goal is thus to reach all those who are in need. This is why early in 2025 we started to organize such humanitarian missions to remote districts, as much as possible given security considerations – thus reaching over 450 families with comprehensive support. Now we have taken up the additional task of tracing at the local level people who have been out of touch for almost a year and cannot be located otherwise. Those are mostly residents of the towns and villages closest to the border. This is why, as soon as the situation allowed and clearance was given by regional authorities and emergency response services, we put together such a composite search team. Unfortunately it was impossible to visit all the addresses on the list – the situation kept changing every day, and some settlements were inaccessible. But we will continue this work,” assured Pavel Savchuk, President of the Russian Red Cross and member of the RF Civic Chamber.
The Russian Red Cross continues to provide systemic support to residents of the Kursk region affected by the emergency. Field missions of this kind help identify and address the most urgent issues that people are facing locally and protect family links and health of those who find themselves in difficult life circumstances.
