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Members of the Ukrainian military have been told to provide mandatory DNA samples to help the country “identify all our dead.”
Ihor Bondarenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, said during a national news broadcast on Wednesday that members of the Ukrainian military and law enforcement were required to provide genetic samples for identification purposes amid the ongoing war with Russia, according to Ukrainska Pravda. Members of the public can submit their DNA on a voluntary basis.
“Given the losses we have today, it is necessary to identify all our dead as a result of armed aggression,” he continued. “This applies to both military personnel and civilians who will come under fire, as, for example, in the city of Chasiv Yar.”
The legal requirement for soldiers to supply DNA samples at the expense of the Ukrainian government will stay in effect while the country remains under martial law, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared when Russian forces invaded on February 24. The samples are kept in personnel files and entered into a genetic database for when there is a potential need to identify remains.
DNA samples that are voluntarily provided by other Ukrainian citizens and foreigners in Ukraine are taken at the expense of those who volunteer.
The U.S. State Department has suggested that Americans who choose to travel to Ukraine despite strong warnings to avoid the country should voluntarily provide their doctors and families with DNA samples and other identifying information before leaving.
“Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States,” reads a travel advisory posted to the website of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. “Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.”
Americans are among the thousands of foreign fighters who voluntarily joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion following the Russian invasion. Several American volunteers have been killed or captured by Russian forces, in addition to civilians like journalists.
One young American volunteer who recently spoke to Newsweek suggested that DNA samples could be needed for identification purposes because there was “nothing” left of many of those killed during the war.
“The guys that I’ve seen take direct hits, we have nothing to identify them by. We find like, maybe a pinky finger,” said the American volunteer, who was identified by the nom de guerre “Elvis.”
“It’s gruesome, but that’s the reality of it,” he added. “We got to the point where none of us really wore helmets, because if something like that hits the building you’re in, you just hope that it kills you quick.”
Newsweek reached out to the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C., for comment.
Ukraine Military Ordered to Submit DNA ‘to Identify All Our Dead’: Official (msn.com)