Ukraine to Speed Up Identification of Fallen Soldiers as Over 26,000 Bodies Returned
Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov announced on Friday, Oct. 2 that Ukraine will create an interagency group to speed up identification of fallen soldiers. More than 26,000 bodies and remains have been repatriated, however, a significant share remain unidentified as the process sometimes takes up to several years. According to Ukrainian police, many of the bodies arrive with explosive…
Ukraine plans to establish an interagency group to expedite the identification of fallen soldiers, amid the repatriation of over 26,000 bodies and remains. Head Kyrylo Budanov made the announcement on October 2 following a coordination council meeting. The plan involves reviewing forensic medical examination bureaus, particularly in regions, and enlisting additional international capacity for DNA testing.
Budanov emphasized that every soldier killed defending Ukraine must have their name established, deeming it a matter of state responsibility. The new group will handle problematic identification cases. However, the process is slowed by safety and forensic challenges, such as discovering explosive devices in repatriated bodies, which necessitate mandatory safety checks before identification work can commence.
Once a body is cleared, forensic experts search for documents, phones, and personal items, photographing identifying features before conducting DNA analysis. The Kirovohrad center for missing persons and unidentified servicemen, established in 2024, employs 32 people, with most of their time dedicated to identification work. A DNA match is possible only after entering both a family's sample and the returned body's profile into the database, which can take several years.
Repatriation of bodies has occurred alongside prisoner exchanges, with the last known return happening on August 24, involving 10 servicemen listed as missing.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
