Ukraine to establish working group on identifying fallen soldiers

Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) is setting up a dedicated working body to address the identification of fallen soldiers, NSDC Secretary Ihor Klymenko announced on Telegram.

Klymenko said that prolonged uncertainty over missing relatives adds to families' suffering, and that the state must do everything possible to speed up the process and ensure examinations are conducted properly.

Planned reforms

On President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's instructions, Ukraine intends to reinforce its forensic examination system by increasing the number of experts and improving working conditions. Specialised regional bureaus will also be created, focused exclusively on identifying the remains of military personnel.

Klymenko said the NSDC will now oversee this work, with the new working group bringing together all relevant state institutions to determine where delays occur, what decisions remain outstanding, and who is responsible for implementing them.

Preceding meeting

On 2 October, the Office of the President hosted a meeting of the Coordination Council dealing with the rights of war veterans, families of fallen defenders, prisoners of war and missing persons. Following the session, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the Cabinet of Ministers would adopt all necessary regulations by mid-October to help forensic teams work faster and more effectively. He also pointed to the importance of international agreements that could strengthen efforts to locate and identify missing Ukrainian defenders, noting that international partners are willing to help.

Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov previously said that a large share of the roughly 26,000 bodies and remains returned from Russia have yet to be identified. He added that an interagency group would be formed to tackle the issue, that the work of forensic bureaus would be reviewed, and that international capabilities would be brought in to assist with identification.