Archive · 22 Aug 2025
Ukraine Struggles to Identify War Dead Amid Body Returns
Ukraine is working to identify the bodies of soldiers and civilians who have died in the war with Russia.
These bodies are often returned in exchange deals.
The process starts at railway stations where forensic teams examine the bodies, which can be difficult due to the conditions.
They collect information and DNA samples to identify the deceased.
Because of the state of the bodies and that sometimes body bags contain more than one person, this is a long and difficult task.
The process can take over a year.
Recently, thousands of remains have been returned to Ukraine as part of these exchanges.
Ukraine is identifying bodies returned by Russia through swap deals.
The identification process starts at railway stations, often in Odesa, using a rapid 'conveyor-belt' system.
Each body undergoes forensic examination by a team, including DNA sampling.
Identification can take over a year due to challenging conditions and the presence of multiple individuals in some body bags.
In a recent exchange, 1,600 sets of remains were delivered; an additional 1,000 arrived later.
- Who
- Ukrainian forensic teams, Russian authorities (returning bodies), and the deceased (Ukrainian soldiers and civilians).
- What
- Ukraine is identifying the bodies of its soldiers and civilians lost in the war.
- When
- Ongoing, with recent large-scale returns of remains.
- Where
- Primarily at railway stations, such as those in Odesa, Ukraine.
- Why
- To identify the dead and return them to their families.
Ukraine's efforts
Limited Coverage
Coverage of repatriations
Ukraine's efforts
Focus on identifying soldiers and civilians.
Limited Coverage
Limited coverage from Russian media.
- Missing Persons
- Over 70,000 classified as 'missing under special circumstances'.
- Identification Location
- Railway stations (Odesa)
- Team Composition
- Police investigator, forensic technician, pathologist, intelligence officer, sanitation worker.
- Identification Time
- May take over a year.
- Recent Exchange
- 1,600 sets of remains exchanged.
- Additional Arrivals
- 1,000 more bodies.