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Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine

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Humanitarian legal standards for safeguarding the rights of persons missing in special circumstances

Tetiana O. Kolomoiets , Valerii K. Kolpakov

Received 13.03.2026, Revised 13.04.2026, Accepted 30.06.2026

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the humanitarian legal standards for ensuring the rights of persons missing in special circumstances, combined with an examination of the national regulatory model, the institutional mechanism for its implementation, and the practical defects of rights protection. It is substantiated that the problem of disappearance in special circumstances cannot be reduced solely to search or registration issues, since it encompasses status-related, procedural, institutional, social-protection, and humanitarian dimensions. It is demonstrated that the legal status of persons missing in special circumstances has a complex internal structure manifested in its staged character, the dual structure of the status condition, and the mediated nature of its implementation through the activities of other participants in the relevant legal relations. Particular attention is devoted to the rights of family members and close relatives as independent beneficiaries of humanitarian legal protection, as well as to the analysis of specific defects in safeguarding the rights of families of both civilian and military missing persons. It is established that the current model in Ukraine already contains a special status-based and institutional framework; however, its practical implementation is complicated by defects in coordination, communication, accessibility of procedures, evidentiary support, and information synchronisation. On the basis of a comparative legal analysis of international standards and the experience of Germany, France, Poland, and the United States of America, the article outlines functional guidelines for the further improvement of the Ukrainian system. It is concluded that the further development of legislation and of the practice of its implementation should be directed toward increasing the certainty of the status model, strengthening the legal position of the family, forming a coherent coordination route, and creating a more effective informational and evidentiary infrastructure.

Keywords:

humanitarian legal standards; persons missing in special circumstances; legal status; family members; close relatives; institutional mechanism; coordination; communication; comparative legal analysis

https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909.2026.33.2.131

Retrieved from Journal NALSU №2, 2026 year

Pages 131-157

References Suggested citation

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Suggested citation

Tetiana O. Kolomoiets, & Valerii K. Kolpakov (2026). Humanitarian legal standards for safeguarding the rights of persons missing in special circumstances. Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, 33(2), 131-157. https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909.2026.33.2.131