By deploying mobile laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technology that can process DNA samples in only a few minutes to identify the deceased, Ukraine is leadin

By deploying mobile laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technology that can process DNA samples in only a few minutes to identify the deceased, Ukraine is leading the way in wartime science.

It reduces the amount of time needed to identify individuals slain during Russia's brutal invasion from years to little over an hour.

The new DNA machines are being transported around the nation in police vans and were funded by Western donors including the French government and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation in the United States. This enables teams to process evidence in real time.

As part of the tens of thousands of cases they are assembling against Russia since its invasion in February 2022, the authorities claim they will significantly accelerate the identification of thousands of their dead and the gathering of war crime evidence.

The country's top police investigators claim that using the pre-war method, which required transporting samples to a few machines in the west of the country or abroad, could have prolonged matches by years. Foreign experts said that it might take the nation "decades" to locate and identify every one of its deceased.

Nevertheless, thanks to the specialized labs, which are featured in The Independent's documentary, The Body in the Woods, which is being released today, results might be available right away (1 March).

Serhiy Boliniov, the lead investigator in Kharkiv, in the country's northeast, said that there used to be a long line for DNA analysis in the facilities that were accessible there because of the vast number of deceased.

In a mass grave in the Kharkiv region's city of Izyum, which was besieged for five months by Russian forces, more than 400 remains were discovered by Kharkiv officials last year.

"With our current technology, I estimate that it would have taken up to five years to extract and analyze the DNA from those bodies. We would have had to inform family members that they were on the waiting list and would eventually receive their Genetic matches. That's altered.

He claimed that the new devices, which are conveniently transportable in the vans that the police are now using to travel the nation, can process DNA samples in just one hundred minutes.

"In Kharkiv reign, we have four machines, one of which is located in Izyum. Formerly, family members searching for their missing loved ones would have had to travel far to the laboratories; however, matches can be made in a short period.

When Moscow's troops invaded Ukraine in February of last year, up to 100,000 Ukrainian citizens may have died, according to the country's top war crimes prosecutor, Yuriy Belousov. That amount is ten times greater than the official estimates provided by the UN, which acknowledges that its estimate is appallingly inadequate.

According to Mr. Belousov, the Ukrainians still have more than 3300 dead that have not yet been recognized since they have found numerous mass graves in freshly freed areas and have found it difficult to manage the numbers.

He said, in total, they are working on 64,000 criminal proceedings related to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court is, meanwhile, investigating allegations of war crimes and genocide in Ukraine.

This evidence-gathering will include using the nine DNA machines in the nation. In July, the French delivered at least one portable gadget to Ukraine. Howard G. Buffett, a philanthropist and the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, has contributed another six.

Kharkiv is home to four Howard G. Buffett machines. "The tools were designed to identify the remains of US soldiers who died in combat. We have received specialized training to be able to recover DNA from these decayed carcasses because they have been buried for a long time.

“We are pioneering science,” he added.

"We are focusing our money in Ukraine to meet the needs there as soon as possible. I could instantly observe the vast scope of the war crimes investigations the Kharkiv police are doing as we walked through the mass burial sites. Additionally, they are doing this job as the Russians continue to shell and attack civilians every day, Mr. Buffett said.

Rapid DNA machines are the only method that can swiftly and efficiently gather and process all of this evidence. Also, it is complementary to other resources we are offering to look into war crimes. It is hoped that this work will ultimately provide families with justice and resolution.

The Independent documented the procedure for obtaining DNA samples from burnt and decomposing bodies in morgues, including those in Kharkiv, as part of The Body in the Woods. The employees are required to operate in labs with sandbagged windows due to their proximity to a missile file, which is in the northeast of the country along the border with Russia. They had to keep the excess in shipping containers and railroad trucks due to the overwhelming number of dead.

"Using this tool, we will be able to do our task more quickly. We'll be able to visit a crime site or a mass burial, locate it, and perform an immediate DNA analysis there.

How Ukraine is pioneering war-time science with mobile DNA laboratories

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