Story: Sixty-nine-year-old Volodymyr Umanets hopes his son will become one of the Ukrainian prisoners of war that Russia has now handed over.
But he knew he might be part of a more gloomy homecoming: the repatriation of soldiers’ bodies.
“I was told to wait. What else do I have to do? wait. Hope still exists. ”
His 49-year-old son Sergiy served in the Ukrainian army in southeastern Ukraine when he disappeared in battle in December 2023.
He provided the authorities with his DNA samples, so if his remains were restored, he could be confirmed.
“You know, I’m at least wondering about some information to get some information. I recently read in the newspaper that a young man was declared missing. During the exchange of the body, his DNA was identified. He was buried today. I wish I knew at least this. ”
Russia and Ukraine have begun handing over 1,000 prisoners of war and plan to hand over the bodies of about 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
It begins a arduous process to determine who you are, how to die and inform your family.
The remains will degenerate because they have been stored for a long time, said the forensic science professor at Djordje Alempijevic of the University of Belgrade.
In the best case, return the body to some files to help identify, but not always.
Without any identification documents, the forensic pathologist will attempt an autopsy.
“It requires facilities, it requires X-ray machinery, it requires experts, it requires proper documentation, document processing, databases. I mean, it’s not easy, but it works.”
:: May 13, 2022
Ukraine claims that Russia’s method of handling the remains of Ukrainian soldiers was accidental.
Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately postponing the exchange of bodies, a claim Kiev denied.
