Koretsky instructed officials to draw up a plan to speed up the identification of repatriated remains
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi has ordered that unnecessary delays in the identification of the bodies of repatriated military personnel and civilians be eliminated. The government also plans to strengthen coordination and information sharing among government agencies so that the families of the deceased can receive accurate results more quickly.
“The state must speed up the process of identifying the bodies of repatriated military personnel and civilians. We must eliminate unnecessary delays and strengthen cooperation and information sharing between agencies,” Koretskyi stated.
According to the prime minister, the entire identification process was reviewed in detail during the meeting—from conducting forensic medical examinations to the steps taken after their completion.
“We thoroughly reviewed the entire process at a meeting with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense—from forensic medical examinations to the steps taken afterward. At each of these stages, coordination between agencies must be strengthened to ensure that all procedures are carried out more efficiently. I have instructed them to prepare a clear plan for improvements within a week,” the head of government said.
Thus, the Cabinet of Ministers plans to improve coordination among the responsible agencies and reduce the time required to complete procedures related to identifying the deceased.
At the same time, the government plans to expand the capacity of the forensic medical examination system.
Currently, 21 regional forensic medical examination bureaus, under the Ministry of Health, are conducting the relevant examinations.
Developing this system is particularly important given the large-scale repatriation efforts. Specifically, in 2026, a significant number of bodies of the deceased were already returned to Ukraine and subsequently transferred for the necessary identification procedures.
The draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2027 allocates over 600 million hryvnias for this area. Specifically, the funds are planned to be used to equip regional bureaus with the necessary equipment.
The government approved the draft state budget for 2027 and submitted it to the Verkhovna Rada on September 15.
Koretsky emphasized that the goal of these changes should be not only to technically improve the system but also to provide families with accurate information about the fate of their loved ones more quickly.
“We must ensure that families receive accurate information as quickly as possible so they can bid a dignified farewell to their loved ones,” the prime minister concluded.
The issue of identifying repatriated remains was discussed during a meeting attended by representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense.
As a result of the latest repatriation effort, the bodies of 522 deceased individuals were successfully returned to Ukraine.
Law enforcement officials repeatedly discovered explosive devices during initial examinations of the bodies of servicemen returned to Ukraine as part of the repatriation process, according to the police.
