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War in Ukraine

Explosives Frequently Discovered Inside Repatriated Ukrainian Bodies, Police Report

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Forensic scientists unloaded from a truck onto a stretcher with bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers repatriated as part of the 6000 for 6000 exchange on June 26 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)
Forensic scientists unloaded from a truck onto a stretcher with bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers repatriated as part of the 6000 for 6000 exchange on June 26 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)

Explosive devices, including grenades, have repeatedly been found inside the bodies of the dead repatriated to Ukraine, police reported on June 30.

The disclosure came from Taras Tarasenko, deputy head of the investigative directorate and chief of the unit investigating crimes against the life and health of persons at the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kirovohrad region, in an interview with Ukrinform.

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"We found explosive objects, grenades and other things, so we work as carefully as possible," Tarasenko explained, noting that every returned body first undergoes a primary inspection to check for items that could pose a danger.

He added that such cases have occurred on multiple occasions.

In parallel with the safety check, specialists search for personal belongings that help establish identity, including documents, mobile phones, identification tags, and bank cards. Investigators then begin a detailed examination, recording and photographing distinctive features, tattoos, clothing, and other identifying details.

The police also indicated that the remains of several people are often mixed together within a single transfer. This is detected both during visual inspection and through DNA testing. In such cases, law enforcement officers work alongside forensic medical experts to carry out segmentation and separate the remains for further study.

The bodies pass through this scrutiny after large-scale repatriation exchanges.

On June 18, Ukraine took back 522 bodies that the Russian side identified as Ukrainian service members, while 33 sets of remains were handed to Russia, an operation coordinated by the headquarters responsible for prisoners of war together with the security service, the armed forces, and the state emergency service.

Forensic examinations to identify those returned were to follow the handover.

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