“Our analyzes are the last resort to identify a body. Between bombardments and deadly battles, the Russian invasion of Ukraine claimed many victims. Many of them, discovered long after their death or disfigured by war, are difficult to identify. This is the role of the Forensic Scientific Research Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The institute located in kyiv and its 23 laboratories, scattered throughout the territory, are responsible for comparing the DNA of the victims to that of their relatives, who are desperately seeking answers.
“One of our main missions is the identification of soldiers and civilians who died because of the war, thanks to DNA analysis”, confirms Sergiy Krymchuk, the director of the structure. The Forensic Scientific Research Center of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI), is recognized for its genetic expertise. Created in 1998, it is capable of carrying out “70 different types of forensic searches”. And the laboratory responsible for analyzing biological data has been in particularly high demand since the start of the Russian invasion.
“Bone breaks down to the touch”
“The amount of work has increased drastically since the beginning of the war. We receive a lot of genetic data, ”underlines Anna Povkh, the head of the laboratory. If the belligerents refuse to communicate openly on the number of dead, timid estimates circulate. At least 7,110 civilians were killed, according to minimum UN estimates. As for the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces, the Western General Staffs estimate that they amount to at least 30,000. “To identify someone, we can base ourselves on his teeth, his skull, his tattoos, his relatives or his documents”, lists Konstantin Doubonos, the first deputy of the center.
“Unfortunately, there are many cases where the person cannot be recognized. Our analyzes are the last resort,” he explains. In the corridors of the institute’s laboratory, analysts in white or green coats are busy. Behind impeccable glass, bone fragments are placed on a grid. They belong to a victim of Boutcha, who died in a bus fire. “The bones are so damaged by the flames that they decompose when touched, it’s charcoal. It’s a very delicate job but we have managed to establish a profile so we will be able to identify it”, develops Rouslan Abassov. Next to it, a huge refrigerator contains dozens of human samples, sealed in hermetic and opaque plastic bags.
From report to new burial
“In the vast majority of cases, we succeed,” welcomes Rouslan Abassov. Since February 2022, the center has received 23,000 requests. 19,000 have already been honored. The forensic scientific research center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs realized the importance of its work from the beginning of the Russian invasion. “We opened 13 new centers in six months”, specifies Sergiy Krymchuk who adds that they “started immediately”. “Today, we have ten laboratories that carry out all the expertise and 13 centers that have “Rapid Hit” systems that allow a sample to be taken from a living being,” explains the director of the center. In the event of a disappearance, the family goes to the police offices in their oblast to file a report.
Investigators take samples from relatives and bring them to the oblast laboratory. The genetic identity of the relatives is then added to the centre’s database and compared to those of the remains that have already been identified – usually thanks to a bone fragment. After a “match”, the laboratory immediately notifies the investigator who met the family and the one in charge of the death file. “During the analyses, the bodies are stored in morgues. We also have special refrigerators because even a bone needs to be kept cool. But sometimes there are too many bodies. So to avoid a health catastrophe, they are sometimes buried with a number [apposé sur la croix] in order to exhume them and to carry out a new burial in the event of identification”, relates Konstantin Doubonos.
“All the logistics disrupted by the war”
The forensic institute, which employs 4,000 people across the country, had to adapt quickly. “All the logistics were disrupted by the war,” acknowledges Sergiy Krymchuk. Many employees fled the country. 211 went to the front. Three died there. The training of new recruits takes between “three and six months”. While working to open new centers, the institute also had to face the failure of those which existed before the war. “Many devices broke down,” notes Rouslan Abasov.
“Since the beginning of autumn, electricity has become our main problem. Very often, laboratories contain reagents that must be kept at very low temperatures, at -4°C or even -20°C,” he explains. Despite these difficulties, the institute continues to look to the future. At present, only ten of its laboratories are “complete” and can therefore identify bodies like taking samples from the living. ” It’s good. But we want the 23 laboratories to be able to carry out all the expertise. In the near future, we hope to complete three to five laboratories,” says Sergiy Krymchuk. In order to be ever more effective in identifying the victims that Russia leaves in its wake.