10 November 2026, 16:24
On November 10, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and Other Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Optimization of Processes for Searching for Missing Persons and Identifying Unidentified Human Remains and Body Parts During Martial Law” (No.14095).
The Law is aimed at enhancing legal mechanisms for the collection of biological material and the processing of human genomic information for state registration purposes, including through the involvement of relevant experts from foreign states or international organizations. It also permits the use of digitalized fingerprints templates, thereby facilitating, where necessary, the effective search for persons missing under special circumstances and the identification of unidentified bodies (remains) of deceased persons during martial law.
Specifically, amendments have been made to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine “On State Registration of Human Genomic Information,” and the Law of Ukraine “On the Unified State Demographic Register and Documents Confirming Citizenship of Ukraine, Identifying a Person or Their Special Status.”
The adopted Law enhances national legislation regarding the legitimatization of procedures for engaging specialists, including foreign representatives specializing in personal identification, which in turn will ensure the efficiency and timeliness of processes for searching for persons missing under special circumstances.
The Law provides for the creation of conditions to conduct comprehensive examinations of bodies (remains) in order to avoid erroneous DNA testing results, as well as cases of prolonged storage of the bodies of fallen defenders and civilians.
The enacted amendments will protect the rights of Ukraine’s most vulnerable category of population—the relatives of missing and fallen individuals.