Families of missing Russian soldiers, who were fighting against Ukraine, are turning to Google Maps in a desperate attempt to trace their loved ones.
With limited information from military authorities, some relatives say they have started using publicly available satellite imagery to search areas where soldiers were last deployed.
Many Russian soldiers use platforms such as Telegram to stay in touch. If they suddenly go offline and remain inactive for days or weeks, their families begin to fear the worst. Officials often provide little or no clear information, and relatives take matters into their own hands.
In some cases, the search leads families to Google Maps reviews. People sometimes leave comments on location pages, such as hospitals, morgues, military bases, or even small towns near the front line, asking whether anyone has information about a missing soldier. Some hope that local residents, medical staff, or others might respond, according to The New Yorker.
One of the women, identifying herself as Zulya Galimova, posted a message in the review section of a Google Maps page for Rostov's Military Hospital No. 1602. Rostov has become a central hub where the bodies of Russian soldiers killed in the war are brought.
Galimova, in the message, detailed the soldier's identifying information, including his name, date of birth, and the day he went missing.
"Hello, could you please tell me if Abutalipov Alexander Rafkatovich, born January 19, 2003, has been admitted to your care. He went missing on August 11, 2025. Call sign: ABU. Please help. Mom," she wrote.
"I'm looking for my brother,” wrote another soldier's brother. "We were told he died and is in the morgue in the Rostov region. How can I get him."
Some even include photos of missing soldiers to get a response early. However, despite these efforts, the hospital has not replied to any of the reviews.
Google Maps is not solely being used to search for missing soldiers. Wounded troops are also sharing their experiences at the hospital. An injured soldier wrote that there was no proper hot water, the food was of poor quality, the porridge was overcooked, and the facilities had not been renovated since Soviet times.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, President Vladimir Putin's government began blocking or restricting access to major Western social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram and X were blocked weeks after the invasion. Later, YouTube was slowed down, and encrypted messaging apps like Signal were blocked. WhatsApp was also blocked more recently.
Google itself has not been fully banned, but some of its services, including Google Maps, have reportedly faced disruptions. At the same time, the government promotes Russian alternatives to Western platforms. For example, Yandex is promoted instead of Google.
On Google Maps, you can easily locate Rostov by zooming into southern Russia, near where the Russian border meets the Azov Sea and international borders are clearly marked. But it is difficult to track on Yandex Maps as it has removed border lines from its maps.
