Investigators looking to identify and return killed Ukrainian soldiers to their families have found explosives hidden in the bodies by Russian soldiers.
The explosives have caused major delays in returning repatriated bodies to their families for proper burials.
Taras Tarasenko, deputy head of the investigative department at the Kirovohrad Region Police Department, told news outlet Ukrinform that mandatory safety checks have had to be put in place before investigators can begin identification work.
He said: ‘First of all, we check whether there are any items that may pose a danger. Such cases have occurred more than once.
‘We have found explosive objects, grenades and other things, so we work as carefully as possible.’
Kirovohrad is the home of the Centre for the Search for Missing Persons in Special Circumstances and the Identification of Unidentified Bodies of Servicemen.
The bodies of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and citizens arrive daily, with the team of 32 working around the clock to ensure they can be returned to their families.
Russia was previously found to be hiding its own slain soldiers and sending their remains to Ukraine wearing Ukrainian uniforms in a bid to avoid compensating the families of the slain Russian soldiers.
Other Ukrainians have been returned home missing internal organs and with signs of obvious torture.
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was captured in 2023 in Zaporizhzhia and tortured by Russian troops.
Investigators found severe bruises, abrasions, broken bones and signs of electric shocks.
Shockingly, Roshchyna’s brain, eyes and trachea were found to be missing during her autopsy back home.