Daria Tarasova-Markina’s son, Nazar Ocheretnyi, disappeared at age 33 in Mariupol in March 2022. He was a Ukrainian combat medic and sent his last message to his mother on March 30, 2022. Nearly three years later, he still hasn’t been in touch.
Ocheretnyi is one of almost 60,000 military personnel and civilians recognized as missing under special circumstances in Ukraine’s government register. The real number could be much higher. Artur Dobroserdov, Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, said if a person is in the register, they are either in Russian captivity or dead.
The prolonged war has made it difficult for Ukraine to locate those captured or killed. Drones used by both armies make retrieving bodies from front lines challenging. Russia and Ukraine regularly exchange bodies as part of repatriation efforts.
Ukraine has brought home more than 7,000 bodies since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. During the last repatriation on February 14, Ukraine brought home the bodies of 757 fallen soldiers. Identifying the missing among repatriated remains is complex.
Often, only remnants of bodies are returned. Ruslan Abbasov, deputy director of the State Scientific Research Forensic Center, said it can be difficult when a package arrives with fragments from multiple people.
Relentless quest for missing soldiers
DNA testing is mandatory for final identification, even if relatives recognize a fallen soldier. In some cases, parts of one body have been delivered during different repatriations at different times. When missing persons have no relatives, personal belongings in direct contact with their skin are analyzed for DNA matches.
Ukrainian authorities are using advanced technologies to hasten the search. On February 20, the National Police of Ukraine posted computer-generated images of five unidentified men killed in action. They urged people to contact them if they recognized any relatives or friends.
This was the first time Ukrainians used 3D reconstruction techniques to identify missing persons. Khrystyna Podyriako, head of the National Police’s war crimes investigation department, said they are testing technology to restore facial features based on skull shape and genomic information. Facial recognition software from Western partners, like Clearview AI, has been used to identify missing soldiers in captivity by recognizing faces from photos on social media.
Ukraine must independently find and confirm the identities of many prisoners as Russia does not always maintain accurate lists. Valentyna Ocheretnaya continues to search for her son. She has attended meetings, joined Telegram groups, and contacted everyone from his brigade.
Despite gathering information about sightings of him in Russian captivity, he remains absent from official lists. Ocheretnaya remains relentless in her search, never giving up hope of his return.
Image Credits: Photo by Yehor Milohrodskyi on Unsplash
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