The activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan in searching for missing persons. Features of the search for minors. Assistance from the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan in organizing interaction with volunteer movements ("Liza Alert").

      Today, a press conference was held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan on the topic: "The activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan in the search for missing persons. Features of the search for minors. Assistance from the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan in organizing interaction with volunteer movements ('Lisa Alert')." Journalists' questions were answered by: the head of the coordination department for the activities of internal affairs bodies in the search for persons of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ramil Garipov; the deputy head of the department - head of the department for organizing the activities of juvenile affairs units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, Evgenia Bobrova; and the coordinator of the search and rescue team 'Lisa Alert' of the Republic of Tatarstan, Artyom Latyshev.

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      The search for missing persons remains one of the priority areas of activity for the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan and is under the control of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan. Special attention is paid to the search for minors, regardless of the frequency of their departure from families, orphanages, or social shelters, as well as the disappearance of people under criminal circumstances. These facts are monitored from the moment information is received. Over the past 6 years, it can be concluded that the number of registered reports (appeals) of missing persons has decreased annually: 2020 - 4088, 2021 - 3694, 2022 - 2896, 2023 - 2623, 2024 - 1314, 2025 - 751. In the first half of 2026, 282 such reports were recorded, which is almost half of the number for the same period last year. In total, as of the end of 6 months of 2026, 138 missing persons were being searched for, of which 116 citizens were found. Taking into account the backlog from previous years, 520 missing persons remain unfound, of which criminal cases have been initiated in 201 cases.

      The main reasons for disappearances are related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, the presence of mental illnesses, memory loss and disorientation in space and time due to advanced age, conflict situations in the family, going to work in other regions, and loss of contact. Additionally, disappearances may be associated with accidents (drowning, getting lost in the woods, freezing in winter on the way home while intoxicated, etc.). There are also appeals regarding the search for relatives with whom the applicant has not maintained contact for a long time (up to several decades), to resolve property and inheritance issues according to a will, or one of the parents who are not fulfilling their responsibilities for raising children. If during the verification it is found that the missing person continues to lead an active life: changes their documents, is involved in administrative or criminal liability, i.e., the fact of their disappearance is not confirmed in this case, then the search for such individuals is not carried out, and the applicant is notified of this.

      If, during the search activities, the whereabouts are not established, and there are signs in the sudden disappearance that the person may have become a victim of a crime, the Investigative Committee makes a decision to initiate a criminal case.

      First of all, attention is drawn to the absence of objective data indicating the intention of the missing person to leave for an unknown destination without reason and for a long time;

      - the presence of documents and personal belongings at the place of residence, without which they cannot do without for a long time;

      - the presence of events in the missing person's life, participation in which is important for them;

      - the presence of large sums of money and valuables;

      - disappearance with a vehicle;

      - the presence of conflict situations and threats against the missing person;

      - sudden urgent repairs at the place of residence;

      - prolonged non-receipt of salary or pension by the person.

      The disappearance of a minor is also considered among such circumstances.

      If no criminal case has been initiated regarding the fact of the disappearance, the search is conducted for 10 years, and for another 10 years, an identification card with their features and circumstances of disappearance is kept in the archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is no time limit for applying to the internal affairs bodies with a report of a missing person; anyone can apply at any time. The application is registered regardless of the age and place of disappearance, the presence or absence of information about the place of residence or stay, complete personal data and a photograph of the missing person, information about any previous cases of disappearance.

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      In the first half of 2026, the internal affairs bodies received reports of the search for 57 children (34 girls and 23 boys), of which 42 left home, and 15 from state institutions (shelters, hospitals, orphanages, educational organizations). Eight children were reported missing two or more times.

      In general, the search for children lasts 1-2 days, and often the children return home on their own. During conversations, the reasons for their departure from home are established, which are often conflicts and misunderstandings with parents, a desire to be independent.

      Runaways from home mainly occur after quarrels with parents due to poor academic performance in school, refusal to purchase certain items, self-affirmation in adult life, and a desire to live independently, away from parents. Factors such as deviations in mental development and a tendency to vagrancy are also present.

      Children who leave state institutions are mainly orphans or those left without parental care; these kids are used to the absence of parental control, find it difficult to adapt to the established routine, and want to return to their friends and relatives. Some leave several times a year, and this is not because they are treated poorly.

      To prevent minors from leaving their permanent residences, measures of a preventive nature are developed, and measures for the social protection of children are taken in collaboration with juvenile affairs commissions, social protection bodies, healthcare, and education. Systematic activities are conducted to identify adolescents prone to leaving families, orphanages, shelters, boarding schools, healthcare institutions, and others.

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      Recently, a positive trend has been noted in the civic stance of the population, with increasing interest among citizens in assisting in the search for missing persons.

      Currently, six volunteer organizations are providing assistance on a permanent basis in the Republic: 'Lisa Alert' based in Kazan, 'Vasilisa' based in Naberezhnye Chelny, 'Sled' based in Nizhnekamsk, 'Nadezhda' based in Yelabuga, 'Search Center' based in Kazan, and 'Branch of the National Center for Assistance to Missing and Injured Children in the Republic of Tatarstan' based in Mendeleevsk, which assist the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan in conducting activities to search for missing persons, with special attention to the search for children.

      The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, in turn, continues close cooperation on issues of promoting volunteerism within the framework of its powers. Meetings are held with all coordinators of the mentioned volunteer teams, contacts are established, and responsible persons are appointed. All volunteer organizations involved in the search for missing persons work closely with the territorial police units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, and positive results have been achieved.

      When a report (message) about a missing person is received in the territorial internal affairs bodies, the official responsible for conducting search activities explains to the applicant the possibility of involving volunteers in conducting search activities, as well as the contact numbers of the coordinators of the volunteer teams operating in that area.

      During search activities in the field, arriving volunteers are briefed, an initial work plan is determined with the coordinator, they are provided with necessary information, photographs of the missing person, familiarized with the search map, given instructions, supplied with other materials that need to be distributed, including on social networks (with the consent of the relatives of the missing person), and recommendations are given regarding the scope and nature of the search activities, as well as instructions on how to carry them out.

      When an appeal is made directly to volunteers about a missing person, the coordinators of the volunteer organizations inform the police officers responsible for search work to verify whether relatives have filed a report with the police. In the absence of a report, they recommend that applicants contact the internal affairs bodies. All search activities are coordinated with the officers conducting the search work. By interacting with the police, volunteers gather all possible information about the missing person's identity, including monitoring social networks to obtain any relevant information.