Russia is returning Ukraine’s war dead with explosives hidden inside. Police now check every body first

Bodies returned from Russia to Ukraine sometimes contain explosives. Ukrainian police have repeatedly found explosive devices and grenades during initial inspection of remains returned by Russia, said Taras Tarasenko, head of crimes against life and health investigations at Kirovohrad Oblast Main Police Department, in an interview with Ukrinform.

The finding extends a documented pattern of Russian misconduct in body returns since Ukraine and Russia began large-scale repatriation under the June 2025 Istanbul talks. The most recent transfer brought 522 bodies on 18 June 2026, with full forensic identification of each repatriated body taking around 14 months due to the condition in which remains arrive.

Former Ukraine’s Military Intelligence chief and current Head of Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov previously characterized Russia’s handling of fallen Ukrainian soldiers as “dirty games.”

Initial inspection routinely checks for explosive devices

After repatriated bodies arrive in Ukraine, police conduct an initial inspection with the first priority being to check whether the remains carry items that could be dangerous, Tarasenko told the journalists.

“Such cases have been repeated. We found explosive devices, grenades, and other things, so we work as carefully as possible,” Tarasenko said.

In parallel, investigators search for personal items that can help identify the fallen soldier, such as documents, mobile phones, dog tags, and bank cards. Detailed examination follows, with investigators recording and photographing distinguishing marks, tattoos, clothing, and other details.

Mixed remains require segmentation, DNA expertise

Police also report that repatriated remains are sometimes found mixed with the bones and tissue of multiple individuals returned as one body. Visual inspection and DNA expertise identify these cases.

Then, law enforcement and forensic medical experts conduct segmentation to separate the remains for further investigation.

Previously, Russia has been caught hiding its own war dead in handovers by sending back remains in Ukrainian uniforms with Ukrainian dog tags, possibly to dodge compensation owed to Russian soldiers’ families. Ukrainian families have also reported bodies returning with missing internal organs.