There are several methods for identifying the remains of participants in the “special military operation”, but fingerprint analysis remains the cheapest. The comment was made by Alexei Abramov, a Russian forensic expert within the regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, quoted by Lenta.
“This is the fastest and cheapest method of identification and it is extremely reliable. Moreover, we do not need post-mortem fingerprints from all ten fingers – two or three are enough, and in some cases, even one,” stated Abramov, a doctor in medicine, in an interview given to Kommersant, the largest financial daily in Russia.
The expert wished to draw attention to a problem that can be remedied.
The law requiring contractual soldiers to provide digital fingerprints when enlisting in the Russian army was only adopted in 2023, which means that some members of the armed forces might not be covered by this procedure. However, they can voluntarily request to be fingerprinted.
Abramov continued his explanations in a macabre tone, explaining that if the soft tissues of the body have been destroyed, fingerprints can no longer be recovered.
“Here is where dentistry comes into play,” the expert told Kommersant. “One or two jaw X-rays may be enough for reliable identification,” he explained.
Lenta, one of the most popular news sites in Russia, notes however that this method is widely used abroad, but less so in the country. “The problem here is the fragmented medical databases of many dental clinics,” says the cited source.