Handbook

None of us expects to be kidnapped or captured, but in occupied territory the possibility is quite high. Civilians are the least prepared for the conditions of war, but knowing proven strategies for responding to capture can increase your chances of survival and improve your well-being both during captivity and after release.

We hope you never have to use these recommendations, However, Ukraine is resisting full-scale military aggression. Understanding fundamental captive survival strategies will give you the best chance of adapting to the demands of the captivity, no matter how long it lasts.

The enemy wants to influence the adversary through the use and exploitation of hostages and prisoners. In this regard, it is necessary to remember that the hostage’s only available resource is his emotions.

If your loved one has been out of touch for a long time, or if you have information that they have been taken in captivity, here is a plan of action on how to start the search and where to go to make it successful.

This algorithm was developed by specialists of the Center for Civil Liberties as a part of the Prisoners Voice project.

• First of all, it’s necessary to record the disappearance. Here is a list of organizations where to report your case (it’s desirable to have written answers from all structures):
  • Hotline of the National Police for searching of missing or dead persons 0 800 21 21 51 and 089420 1867
  • National Information Bureau at the Ministry of Reintegration 1648 and 0442878165
  • Commissioner for human rights: 0800501720
  • UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission ohchr-hrmmu@un.org,
    Telegram: ohchr_hrmmu (messages only)
    Viber: +380503746708 (messages only)
  • International Committee of the Red Cross:
    hotline: 0800300155
    tracing service: 0963044375, 0662509957

• A mandatory step is to fixate the capture or loss of contact with a relative at the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War https://koordshtab.org/

You can also fill out this form and “EuromaidanSOS” volunteers will help you to register a missing person.

1. Physically contact the nearest police station: Provide all information about who, how many people, under what circumstances and when they became civilian hostages. After submitting the testimony, you will receive a number of the open criminal proceeding.
   After submitting the evidence to the police, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine should come to you to clarify the issues in the case. But we recommend contacting them yourself.
2. Physically go to the Security Service of Ukraine with a document certifying your identity and a document confirming your family relationship with the missing person (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.). You can contact the regional office, preferably the main office of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv (33 Volodymyrska St.).
   At the checkpoint, an investigator on duty will be called to you, who will receive the statement in the public waiting room, or the pass will be written out and you’ll be accompanied to his office. The investigator must be informed of available information and evidence that the relative has become a civilian hostage. It’s also necessary to provide, if available, the phone number from which the relative called, the storyboard of the video in which he was seen, photos, screenshots of posts from chats in messengers, etc.
   After that, a non-disclosure protocol and an interview protocol are signed between you (the applicant) and the Security Service of Ukraine. You’ll receive the case number and contact details of the investigator who will conduct it.
   In the event that there are no documents confirming family relations, it’s necessary to apply to the court for the establishment of family relations and bring witnesses who can confirm that the applicant and the missing person/captive lived together and were married.
   Information on establishing the fact of living as one family without marriage is here. 
3. After writing a statement and opening a case, you’ll receive a criminal case number and meet the investigator who will conduct the case. Exchange contacts with the investigator, so that in the event of new information appearing, immediately notify the investigator and monitor the investigation of the case.
4. Contact the National Information Bureau  https://nib.gov.ua/uk/, by filling out the form available on the website.
5. A lawyer will help you apply to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a request to send humanitarian aid or ensure contact with a captive relative.
   ICRC website in Ukrainian with contacts in Ukraine – https://blogs.icrc.org/ua/contacts/
   The website of the ICRC in English with the address and contacts of the main office in Geneva – https://www.icrc.org/en/contact
6. Apply to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War at the number: +380954127424 (the consultation line is open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and provide information about a relative who was arbitrarily detained by the occupying forces and doesn’t get in touch. If possible, sign up for a consultation with the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War at the number +38(044) 4251209 and fixate the arbitrary detention by the occupying forces or the disappearance of a civilian. Details – on the website https://koordshtab.org/

If the status and location of your relative is unknown

1. Go to the nearest police station and write a statement that you have lost touch with your relative. After filling the application, you’ll receive a document – the number of criminal proceedings in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.
2. If you’re a family member (father, mother, children), submit your DNA for a DNA test. Because if there is no confirmation of captivity, DNA testing is a necessity.
   If there is no place to take DNA, then a petition is submitted to the court with a request to exhume the parents or child to extract the deceased’s genome for DNA testing. Then you’ll have to wait for a match to be found/not found. A partial match is not considered confirmation. It is also possible to extract traces of DNA from the belongings of the missing person.
3. After that, you need to contact the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances. This office will then begin the search process. Contacts: 0800339247 and 0958960421.
   Apart from that, we advise you to contact the International Organization for the Search for Missing Persons (ICMP) by filling out the form, before reading the instructions that precede the form.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to pay for any services at any of these steps. If you are offered a service for money, it is most likely a scam.

It is also important to record all mentions of your loved one: if you see his or her photo or video on Telegram channels, download it, take screenshots, and give it to the investigator. This may help to identify their location.

If your family member is a military person and has not been in touch for a long time or you have information that he or she has been captured, we offer an action plan on where and how to contact specialized organizations and government agencies to help you with the search.

This algorithm was developed by experts from the Center for Civil Liberties as part of the Prisoners Voice project.

The first step is to report the disappearance. Here is a list of organizations to report your case to (it is advisable to have written responses from all structures):

• United Center for Search and Release of Prisoners of War:
  +38 067 650 83 32; +38 098 087 36 01
  united.centre.ssu@gmail.com (for military personnel only)

• The military unit where the person serves (to find out all the information they have about your relative, which will further help you in your search)
• Coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war: https://koordshtab.org, https://t.me/nib_uncp_bot
• Hotline for searching for missing or dead persons of the National Police of Ukraine: 0 800 21 21 51 and 089 420 1867
• National Information Bureau under the Ministry of Reintegration: 1648 and 0442878165
• Human Rights Ombudsman: 0800501720
• United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission: ohchr-hrmmu@un.org, Telegram: ohchr_hrmmu (messages only) Viber: +380503746708 (messages only)
• International Committee of the Red Cross: Hotline: 0800300155, tracing service: 0963044375, 0662509957
• International Commission on the Issues of Missing Persons: oic.icmp.int (choose the Ukrainian translation on the website)

You can also fill out this form and EuromaidanSOS volunteers will help you to record the disappearance of your relative.

The algorithm then differs for those who have information that their loved one is in captivity and for those who have no information about the missing person’s location.

In case you know that a relative is in captivity 

You should make sure that his or her name is on the list of prisoners. This is necessary so that the appropriate authorities can get involved in his release.

How to do it:

1. Physically contact the Security Service of Ukraine with a document proving your identity and a document confirming your relationship with the missing person (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.). You can apply to the regional office, but the best place to go is to the main office of Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv (33 Volodymyrska St.). At the checkpoint, an investigator on duty will be called to you, who will receive the statement in the public waiting room, or the pass will be written out and you’ll be accompanied to his office.

The investigator has to be informed of:

• all available information that your relative is in captivity
• the phone number from which your relative called during the captivity (if he/she did)
• a storyboard of the video in which he or she was seen (if possible)
• photos, screenshots of posts from chats in messengers, etc. (if available)

After that, you (the applicant) and the Security Service of Ukrauine sign a non-disclosure protocol and an interview protocol. You will receive the case number and contacts of the investigator who will be in charge of the case. This is a guarantee that the captivity will be confirmed.

If you do not have documents confirming family relations, you need to apply to the court to establish family relations and bring witnesses who can confirm that you and the missing or captive person lived together and were married.

2. After writing the application and starting the case, you will receive a criminal trial number (a necessary document). You will also receive the investigator’s contacts so that if you have new information, you can immediately report it to the investigator and keep in touch with him/her about the status of the case.
3. Next, you need to report the captivity to other organizations that can help. Contact:

• the National Information Bureau https://nib.gov.ua/uk/ by filling out the form available on the website.
• Contact the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War: https://koordshtab.org , https://t.me/nib_uncp_bot (check out the roadmap).
• With the help of lawyers, contact the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to request humanitarian aid or to ensure communication with a captured relative: https://blogs.icrc.org/ua/ , the address of the central office in Kyiv is 60 Velyka Vasylkivska St.

If the status and location of your relative is unknown, you need to make additional steps: 

1.  Go to the nearest police station and submit a statement that you have lost touch with your relative. After that, you will receive a document – the number of the criminal investigation in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.
2. If you are a family member (father, mother, children), submit your DNA for a DNA test. Because, if there is no confirmation of captivity, DNA testing is a necessity.
   If there is no place to take DNA, then you will need to submit a petition to the court with a request to exhume the parents or child to extract the deceased’s genome for a DNA test. Then you will have to wait to see if there is a match. A partial match is not considered as a confirmation. It is also possible to extract traces of DNA from the missing person’s belongings.
3. After that, you need to contact the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances. This office will then begin the search process. Contacts: 0800339247 and 0958960421.

In addition, we advise you to contact the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), by filling out the application form, after reading the instructions preceding the form.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to pay for any services at any of these steps. If you are offered a service for money, it is most likely a scam.

The type, intensity, and duration of reactions to capture and captivity vary dramatically among captives. Any such reactions should be considered normal in the conditions of an extremely stressful situation. The most important thing to do is to get your initial reactions under control as soon as possible. It is believed that the first 45 minutes of capture are the most dangerous, because the kidnappers and captives are at their most tense and prone to impulsive behavior at this moment. The sooner you calm down, the smarter you can react to the situation.

Survival in captivity is largely a matter of chance. However, captives can maximize their chances of survival and minimize their suffering by managing themselves, their time, and their environment to some extent. Below are tips from former hostage takers and experts in the field. These are not strict rules that must be strictly followed but rather general recommendations. In such complicated situations, there is always space for exceptions to the rules.

Regain – and keep – your composure. Try to control the panic reactions after capture as soon as possible. To get yourself together, choose the physical resources of the body: for a short period of time, allow yourself to tremble as much as possible (if it’s safe); pat yourself on the thighs or lower legs to feel the body; press your heels into the floor; touch the wall with your back, etc. Always try to be calm and clear. Without risking your own safety, try to calm other hostages who are struggling.

Maintain a reserved, non-provocative position.

Open conflict in captivity is usually counterproductive. The safest is to control impulsive behavior , stay calm and follow instructions. In the early, sharp stages of confinement , be aware that even eye contact is seen as a challenge. In most cases, when hostages were killed, they tried to resist the kidnapper.

Make the kidnappers recognize you as a human. Kidnappers tend to dehumanize their captors. Therefore, you should use situations in which you can be identified as an ordinary person. Avoid taking the initiative, use the opportunity. Talk about household items, the weather, the behavior of the birds in the field after the harvest – anything that speaks about your humanity, but does not convey information about your personality as such, and doesn’t have any political or recognizably cultural coloring. If the kidnappers “catch” you at your word and try to put it in the context they need – show absolute confusion.

Follow the rules set by the kidnappers. Unless you have a clear reason not to do so (such as a violation of your personal dignity or safety concerns). it is reasonable to agree to the demands made by your captors. Of course, there may be rules that you’re willing to break even under penalty, for example, prohibition on communicating with other hostages. Be careful and always compare the likely results of your behavior with the possible consequences.

Say as little as possible when asked. It is necessary to give short answers to questions, avoid making suggestions and emotional coloring. Don’t try to show your attitude to kidnappers by facial expressions or posture. Remind yourself that reacting effectively in order to survive is the most important thing at the moment.

Accept the circumstances with dignity. A sense of self-worth is an important resource. Unfortunately, dignity is often one of the targets of tortures if they are used, especially in wartime. By attacking dignity, criminals try to distort a person’s self-perception, change their behavior and influence the entire society, of which a hostage is a member, with these changes. Therefore, live your values, don’t discuss them. Avoid open displays of cowardice, fear and submissiveness.

Try to comply with the laws of Ukraine and the rules of human existence as much as possible and avoid attempts to force you to commit a crime, unethical behavior. Your first priority is to survive but a crime you could have avoided would still be a crime no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.

Define the goals. Be determined to make it to a certain date, such as a family anniversary, but be prepared to “reset” those dates if your captivity drags on. Note that the longer your captivity lasts, the safer this situation is for you.

Maintain some form of control over your environment. This strategy reduces stress by increasing self-esteem reducing the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. For example, sharing food with other prisoners can not only reduce the feeling of loneliness, but also build the necessary social bonds.

Keep your mind active. Note as many details as possible about the habits and characteristics of your captors, your surroundings, etc. As you begin to recognize patterns of behavior and procedures, it will also reduce your fear before the unknown. Develop mind games to stimulate your thinking, for example, try to remember plots of movies you’ve seen or passages from books you’ve read.

Look for humor in your situation. In the early stages of confinement, when kidnappers are tense and are willing to instill fear and compliance, it wouldn’t be wise to make jokes. However, when captivity has settled into a predictable routine, humor can be a very powerful antidote to hopelessness. Even internal laughing at yourself can help with anxiety and frustration. Try to find something funny in your situation, but be careful and don’t forget about common sense. Remember that you shouldn’t stand out or provoke violence.

Eat and exercise. This will have a two fold effect: you will maintain your overall fitness and reduce negative effects of stress and confinement. Adapt to the imposed restrictions – some prisoners continued to train, even despite shackles and being blindfolded.

Actively use methods to fight stress. For example, meditation techniques can help reduce the level of stress and can be very useful as a pain management method. Meditation can also help deal with claustrophobia caused by physical limitations. Practice other stress-management techniques: create and stick to a daily routine, keep a diary, etc. Use every opportunity to sleep.

Accept your flaws. Don’t focus on feelings of weakness or guilt about your behavior during captivity. You got into an extraordinary situation without any warning or preparation. Obviously, you are under a lot of stress and may make mistakes or lose control, but don’t feel guilty about it. Don’t let these feelings overwhelm you. You did everything you could at that moment. Feeling guilty about others (whom you couldn’t/didn’t have enough time to warn or save) is very painful, but it is a manifestation of a healthy psyche. However, it’s very dangerous to remain in guilt for a long time. Allow yourself to mourn losses, and forgive yourself for the lack of superpowers. Focus on the present and the future.

Be tolerant to other hostages. Each person reacts differently to stress. Maybe, you will have to help these people deal with the situation. In addition, the helper’s role strengthens the feeling of your own ability. Be tolerant and remember that hostages may take out their frustrations on other hostages, as doing so against the real culprits – your captors – is too risky. Therefore, don’t pay attention to cases of emotional breakdown on the part of other prisoners. Help people recognize their own emotions and the emotions of others. A big risk is the aggravation of paranoid fears and suspicions of each other. Talk about it whenever possible – awareness eases emotional distress and helps build trust between people.

Keep hope. Believe in what is important to you: family, God, country, or any other abstract ideal. Remember your loved ones and relatives who are waiting for your return. It will give you more strength and patience.

Capture situations vary greatly, so it’s important to be flexible and adapt strategies and behavioral rules to the specific case. This approach will increase your survival chances and also minimize the consequences of being in captivity, allowing you to wait for the release with dignity.

Currently russia keeps a large number of Ukrainian prisoners, conceals information about their exact location and doesn’t inform their relatives about their condition.

If a person close to you was captured, fill out this form, and human rights defenders will join the process of returning them home.

Apply for this form also if you only assume that a person close to you, who protects our country, is in captivity in russian federation. It’s not only about the citizens of Ukraine, but also about foreigners who fought on the side of our state.

This is the “Search.Captivity” humanitarian initiative. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs about the launch of the project to search for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The group of human rights defenders provides support to prisoners of war and their families on the basis of Geneva Convention, which provides for the legal protection of prisoners by lawyers.

The material uses the recommendations of the guide “Hostage Survival Skills for CF Personnel”, by Major P. J. Murphy, Captain K. M. J. Farley, as well as specialists of the NGO “Forpost”.