United to win: Swedish geoscanning device to aid Ukrainian criminologists in war crime investigations against Russia

At the meeting, Ukrainian and Swedish law enforcement officials discussed the potential transfer of a geoscanning device for locating bodies to aid in the investigation of Russian Federation war crimes.

The National Police of Ukraine reports this.

What is the problem?

It should be noted that the Unified Register of Persons Disappeared Under Special Circumstances already contains data on more than 37,000 persons.

What is the solution?

So, during the meeting, Ukrainian and Swedish authorities discussed the potential transfer of a geoscanning device for locating bodies to aid in the investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

^{Photo: National Police of Ukraine}

How does it work?

More than 200 representatives of the police, the war crimes prosecutor's office, and the Swedish Department of Justice attended the meeting.

Oleksandr Shapovalov, the head of the war crimes documentation department of the Main Investigative Department; Andriy Astafiev, the deputy head of the department of operational support for war crimes investigations of the Criminal Investigation Department; and Volodymyr Sherstnyov, the deputy head of the Department of International Police Cooperation, represented the National Police.

The members of the Ukrainian delegation discussed with the heads of the Swedish police's international crisis management and international operations units the possibility of providing material and technical assistance in the investigation of war crimes, demining, combating illegal arms trafficking, and canine unit activities.

As a result, in September 2024, the Swedish side will hand over a geoscanning device to Ukraine and provide training for forensic scientists who will work with it.

Furthermore, the Swedish delegation is expected to arrive in Ukraine soon to negotiate the acquisition of a custom-designed container for facilitating the identification of victims at the crime scene and addressing other requirements of the police in their investigation of war crimes committed by Russia.

Additionally, Swedish police officers discussed their use of advanced technologies in their work, specifically geoscanners. These tools scan and detect variations in soil composition, aiding in the search for bodies and concealed items.

The Swedish police spoke about the peculiarities of using a special container to organize work on identifying victims at the scene.

As a result, the Ukrainian law enforcement officers shared with their foreign colleagues the findings of the investigation into Russian war crimes and the methods and strategies they utilized for it.

To handle new responsibilities, the National Police implemented the specialization of investigators and operatives specifically for investigating crimes related to armed conflict. They also established specialized departments to handle the documentation and investigation of war crimes and provide operational support for these efforts.

They operate not only based on the Central Office but also in the regions most affected by a full-scale invasion. The police officers of these units are provided with all the necessary equipment and the latest technical means for recording crimes.

For reference:

According to reports, the Unified Register of Individuals Who Disappeared Under Unique Circumstances was launched in May 2023.

In addition, Ukraine launched a platform for searching for missing and deported children.

Moreover, Ukrainians were explained where to start the search for relatives who have gone missing.

It was also reported that a peaceful demonstration, titled "The Missing Status is Not a Sentence," took place at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in the capital on April 13. The event was held in honor of the defenders of Bakhmut and Soledar.