Ukraine operates over 30 labs to identify the missing, surpassing most of Europe in forensic capacity

Ukraine now has one of the most advanced molecular genetic testing systems in Europe for identifying missing persons, with more than 30 laboratories conducting forensic examinations, most of them under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Artur Dobroserdov, the Commissioner for Missing Persons Under Special Circumstances, shared the update during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

“Today, Ukraine is the most progressive country in terms of conducting molecular genetic examinations, which are the primary tools used for identification,” Dobroserdov said. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs currently operates 27 laboratories specializing in this type of analysis. Four more function within the healthcare system, and an additional two are scheduled to open later this year. Another four labs are part of the Ministry of Justice.”

He emphasized that staffing and capacity are steadily increasing across all agencies involved. “Every government body is ramping up the number of trained experts and ensuring each facility is fully equipped, with the necessary instruments, materials, and qualified personnel,” he added.

According to Dobroserdov, Ukraine has also developed a centralized database of genetic traits that is regularly updated and already exceeds the scope of similar registries across much of Europe.

“The number of samples in our central registry of human genetic traits is now more than ten times larger than those maintained by many European countries,” he said.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news