On June 27, 2025, forensic experts conducted an autopsy on the remains of a Ukrainian soldier returned to Kyiv. A strong, putrid smell like rotting flesh hung in the back room of the morgue.

     On June 27, 2025, forensic experts conducted autopsies on the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers returned to Kyiv. After completing the examinations, forensic expert Nikolaychuk and his assistant returned the bodies to white bags and transported them to a truck-sized refrigerator nearby. Back at the morgue, Nikolaychuk immediately performed autopsies on three other bodies in separate bags. One was a man with a gray beard, another was a decomposed corpse, and the third was torn to shreds with its skull split clean in two. 

     A pungent, putrid smell hung in the back room of the morgue on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. The source of the odor was a large white bag placed on a metal table. When experts opened it, they found muddy military boots, a mummified corpse, and a small black bag containing a skull. This was all that remained of a Ukrainian soldier who had returned from Russian captivity. The task of identifying who he was began. 

     Ms. Konopatska has identified over 1,000 bodies, both civilian and military, during the war. DNA samples are taken from the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers returned to Kyiv. After finishing work on several bodies, others are immediately brought in. According to the police organization investigating war crimes, approximately 80% of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers returned by Russia were skeletal remains or mummified corpses. Some had their throats slit, hands bound, or were stabbed—all signs of extrajudicial executions. During the repatriation of Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, soldiers were always present; other remains were dissected, and fragments of medical waste were sewn onto them.

Warning: Forensic experts examine the remains of a Ukrainian soldier whose body was returned to Kyiv on June 27, 2025 / Photo: Christopher Occhicone