Ukraine appeals for Russian DNA donations abroad to identify mistakenly transferred bodies

Ukraine has launched a cooperation initiative with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to encourage relatives of missing Russian soldiers to donate DNA abroad to help identify bodies recently transferred by Russia.

Source: Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko during a briefing on 23 June, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ukrainian public broadcaster hromadske

Details: Klymenko stated that Ukraine had proposed to the ICMP and received approval that Russians who have lost contact with relatives serving in the Russian army could approach ICMP units abroad to provide DNA samples during their search for missing relatives.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that, since the beginning of 2025, Ukrainian experts have identified at least 20 bodies handed over by Russia as belonging to Russian military personnel, two of whom were from recent repatriations.

Identification was conducted using external indicators, including uniforms, military ID discs and cards, passports and bank cards, as well as tattoos, scars, facial features, fingerprints and dental records. Social media and specialised software were also utilised in the process.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasised that DNA analysis remains the most reliable identification method.

Maksym Tsutskiridze, First Deputy Head of the National Police and Head of the Main Investigations Department, noted that, given the work has only recently begun, the number of identified Russian bodies is expected to increase.

Tsutskiridze added that many bodies currently lack identifying marks and have no DNA matches, suggesting these may also belong to Russian forces.

Klymenko specified that until there is absolute certainty that a body belongs to a member of the Russian armed forces, it will be stored in Ukraine.

He explained that some Ukrainian military personnel may be found in Russian uniforms, for instance, after being held captive.

Klymenko further stated that Ukraine is prepared to return Russian bodies but must avoid errors. He noted that, given Russia’s deceptive practices, Ukraine must be certain the bodies belong to Russian forces, prompting the appeal to the ICMP to organise DNA collection from Russians in EU countries.

Klymenko announced that a list of DNA sampling points and instructions for registering to provide biological material would be published soon, and Ukraine would continue sharing information about unidentified bodies in Russian uniforms.

Background: Previously, Klymenko reported that Russia is making body identification difficult by returning remains in severely mutilated states and, during recent repatriations, included Russian soldiers’ bodies alongside fallen Ukrainian defenders.

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