All-Ukrainian Conference on the Search for Persons Was Held in Dnipro

An All-Ukrainian conference on the search for persons missing under special circumstances was held in Dnipro.

The aim of the conference was to summarise the annual work of the Interregional Centres for the Search for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, as well as to discuss the practical results of cooperation between law enforcement, government and public institutions in this area.

The All-Ukrainian conference ‘A year of cooperation and practical experience of interregional centres for searching for persons missing under special circumstances’ lasted two days in Dnipro. The event brought together representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner, forensic institutions and civil society organisations.

The event was opened by Oleksandr Hanzha, Head of the Main Department of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk Region, who emphasised the importance of consolidating the efforts of all structures to ensure the effective search for missing persons and the return of the bodies of the deceased.

“Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police of Ukraine and the coordinated work of the investigative units of the Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, we have managed to create a Centre that allows us to respond promptly to citizens’ requests to search for missing persons and restore their rights. We are constantly improving our working algorithms and reforming our approaches, and the best indicator of the effectiveness of such centres is positive feedback from people. It is important for citizens that today everything can be done in one place, where they will receive comprehensive support and assistance. This is especially noticeable for residents of frontline territories, where the situation is difficult. They are grateful for the coordinated work and real results, because for many, even restoring the memory of their relatives is an important step towards justice, said the head of the regional police”.

In her opening remarks, the first deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Inna Vlasova, emphasised that the Dnipropetrovsk region is one of the key regions in terms of identifying the deceased and supporting the families of those missing in action:

“We constantly cooperate with colleagues from Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Rivne, and Zakarpattia, exchanging experience and proven working algorithms. A distinctive feature of our centre is that the Beregynya public organisation, which brings together mothers, sisters and daughters of missing persons and prisoners of war, is actively involved in our activities. Psychologists, lawyers and social support specialists work alongside them on a permanent basis. We understand that each request is not just a criminal proceeding. These are human destinies, lives, stories, pain, and memories. And every family has the right to know the truth about their loved ones and to be able to honour them with dignity. This is precisely why our centre exists — to help people find answers, even in the most difficult situations”.

During panel discussions and presentations, speakers from different regions of Ukraine shared their experiences and practical insights. In particular, the following topical issues were discussed:

Organising cooperation between the police, the prosecutor’s office, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Coordination Headquarters in the search process;
The use of analytical tools in the process of identifying unidentified bodies and establishing the identities of missing persons;
The role of genetic testing and the work of forensic experts in the process of DNA identification;
information and legal support for families, as well as guarantees of psychological support for employees directly involved in search investigations;
Humanitarian forensic medical activities and the organisation of field morgues during the repatriation of bodies;
Interaction with public organisations that support the families of prisoners and missing persons.

Particular attention was paid to issues of communication with relatives of the missing, the collection of biomaterial for DNA testing, identification using tattoos, and the release of bodies for burial. These areas were discussed during the second day of the conference at the Interregional Specialised Centre for the Search for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances in the city of Dnipro.

In summarising the results, the leadership of the Main Department of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region thanked all participants for the constructive exchange of experience, emphasising that the joint work of state and international partners is the key to the effective search, identification and return of every person whose fate is still unknown.