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How to find ukrainian kin

he Soviet Union, Ukrainian diaspora from Argentina to Australia have been filtering back to the motherland in search of kin who, decades earlier, were left behind the wrong side of the Iron Curtain.

But many soon discovered that tracking down a relative is a bit more complicated than merely picking up a copy of the Yellow Pages and letting their fingers do the walking. People move to new homes or new cities, get married, change their names. There are numerous reasons why people lose touch.

Still thereХs no reason to give up hope. The International Red Cross in Kyiv will help people locate their long-lost loved ones.

The Red Cross office in Kyiv is located at Pushkinska 30, tel. 225-1096. Plan your visit ahead of time, as they are only open from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays.

Red Cross offices in other countries also may be contacted to begin a search, but by calling the office in Kyiv, you are one step closer to finding them. Even if you last heard from your relatives during World War II, Red Cross will initiate a search free of charge.

Provide them with any identifying information you can, including first name, patronymic, last name and what city they are from. Addresses are helpful, but not necessary. Success rates vary depending on the amount of information available, the development of the region they lived in, and just plain luck.

Be patient. Some searches take more than a year, especially when there is only scant information available about a relative.

Those who are more inquisitive (and fluent in Russian or Ukrainian) may want to search themselves. Genealogical records are available at the Central State Historical Archive, and can be a great help in locating relatives.

There are two branches of the archives, one in Kyiv and one in western Ukraine. The main branch, in Kyiv, is Solomyanska 24, Tel. 277-4522, 277-3655. Ask for Georgy Papakin, head of the International Department. In western Ukraine, the address is 3a Sobornaya Square, Lviv 290008 Ukraine, Attn: Orest Matsiuk, director. A letter of introduction in Ukrainian will speed the process.

The librarian will point you in the right direction, and may even lend you a hand, but expect to do the foot work yourself. If the librarian goes out of his way to help, a small token of appreciation is an order.

DonХt get any overly romantic ideas about the search Р Ukrainian archives are dusty, unorganized and lacking TLC.

Jake Rudnitsky