Ukraine to set up working group to identify fallen soldiers

Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council will establish a working body to consider issues related to the identification of fallen military personnel.

Source: Ihor Klymenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), on Telegram

Quote: "For families of missing people, having to wait a long time to learn what happened to their loved ones only adds to their pain. The state must do everything it can to speed up the process and ensure that examinations are carried out properly."

Details: Klymenko said that, on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's instructions, Ukraine plans to strengthen its forensic examination system. The number of experts will be increased, and steps will be taken to improve working conditions.

In addition, specialised regional bureaus will be set up to focus solely on identifying the remains of military personnel.

Quote: "From now on, this work will be overseen by the National Security and Defence Council. The relevant working group will bring together all the state institutions involved. We need to look at the entire process as a whole: where delays occur, what decisions are still needed and who is responsible for implementing them. Families do not need explanations for why the system is slow, they need answers."

Background:

• On 2 October, a meeting of the Coordination Council on the Protection of the Rights of War Veterans and Their Family Members, Family Members of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine, Prisoners of War and Missing Persons, was held at the Office of the President.
• Following the meeting, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the Cabinet of Ministers will adopt all the necessary regulations by mid- October to help forensic groups work faster and more effectively. "Another important issue is the approval of international agreements that will help strengthen efforts to find missing Ukrainian defenders and identify them. Our international partners are willing to actively support us in this, and we should make use of this opportunity," the prime minister added.
• Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President's Office, previously said a significant number of the 26,000 bodies and remains brought back from Russia have yet to be identified.
• He added that Ukraine would establish an interagency group to address issues related to the identification of the fallen. The work of forensic examination bureaus is also planned to be reviewed, and "international capabilities" will be involved in identifying the dead.

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