Key points
- The Ministry of Defense is preparing a new method for identifying deceased military personnel.
- Fingerprints of hands and feet will be added to the system.
- Currently, identity is established through a token, fingerprints, and dental formula.
- DNA expertise is used later – it is more expensive.
- Footprints are preserved longer under the protection of shoes.
- The new approach is planned to be introduced by the end of 2026.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is looking for a way to quickly identify deceased military personnel – they plan to add fingerprints of hands and feet to the existing system, reported the head of the Department of Health Protection of the Ministry of Defense, Dmitry Samofalov, in an interview with LB.ua.
According to him, deceased military personnel are usually first identified by a token, fingerprints, and dental formula, and DNA expertise is used later, as it is more expensive.
Samofalov explained that the Ministry of Defense proposes to read not only fingerprints of hands but also feet – they are often better preserved because they remain protected in shoes.
The Ministry of Defense hopes to introduce the new approach by the end of 2026 and believes that this will reduce the risk of errors during identification.
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