By Olha Hembik | 2026-03-03

Ukrainians living in Poland are lining up to provide DNA samples that could help identify relatives missing in the Russia-Ukraine war, offering families a chance to confirm kinship without returning to Ukraine.

At collection points, specialists swab the inside of each participant's cheek, as mucosal cells contain enough DNA for analysis. For many displaced by the war, traveling back to Ukraine is costly and complicated, making the overseas testing campaign a rare opportunity.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has opened applications for DNA sampling in Poland in cooperation with Ukraine's National Police and the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances. According to the organization's Facebook page, samples can be submitted in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk. A similar initiative has launched in Germany.

Families seek answers

Natalya Gromska, who lives in Warsaw, supports Ukrainian prisoners of war and missing servicemen. Her nephew, National Guard member Nikita Shaulsky from Kryvyi Rih, returned from Russian captivity on December 30, 2024, after two years and nine months in detention.

"My nephew defended Mariupol and Azovstal from the very first days of the full-scale invasion. Then came the order to surrender. Later, lists emerged for the 147 men from his unit who were on rotation. Next to their names, some were marked as 'in captivity,' though it later turned out they weren't. Others were listed as 'possibly in captivity,' while some were designated as missing," Gromska told Kontur.

She said parents and relatives of servicemen from Military Unit 3011 have already provided DNA samples to update databases.

"One mother traveled to Ukraine, found her son's razor at home, and submitted biological material. He has been officially listed as missing in the Kursk direction for exactly one year, since February 2025," Gromska said, adding that the new initiative will simplify the process.

Applicants must complete a questionnaire providing details about the missing person, including name, birth date, physical characteristics and circumstances of disappearance. The ICMP also requests contact information and photographs.

In addition to cheek swabs, specialists can extract DNA from blood samples provided by relatives or from biological material recovered from remains, the ICMP website notes.

Identifying the dead

DNA profiles created from relatives can be compared with genetic material recovered from remains. A match greatly increases the likelihood of identification.

Applicants in Poland can track their requests and indicate locations where DNA evidence may be found, including burial sites or detention facilities.

"Identifying the bodies of Ukrainian defenders and war victims is critically important; therefore, the Ukrainian House Foundation has informed Ukrainians living in Poland about all new initiatives in this area, including this one," Alexander Pestrikov, an expert with the Ukrainian House Foundation in Warsaw, told Kontur.

He said it is too early to estimate how many people have completed the forms but noted that applying locally is far easier than traveling to Ukraine.

"One thing is certain: for someone living in Warsaw, it is much more convenient to complete an online application and wait for DNA sampling in Poland than to travel to Ukraine for this purpose," Pestrikov said.

Gromska said travel risks can be serious.

"It is a good initiative because I know people who travel to Ukraine specifically for this, leaving small children behind in Poland. If something goes wrong at the border or if a person stays abroad for more than 30 days, they risk losing their war refugee status. This could lead to the suspension of child benefits and the loss of other social protections," she told Kontur. "There have already been several such cases."

Scale of disappearances

Ukraine's official register lists more than 80,000 people missing under special circumstances, including military personnel and civilians.

"This figure includes military personnel and civilians alike -- citizens of Ukraine, foreign nationals, and stateless persons -- but all were lawfully present in Ukraine," Artur Dobroserdov, the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances said in December.

Search and identification centers operate across Ukraine, including in Lutsk, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Kyiv. Families who lose contact with relatives serving in the military are urged to file reports and provide identifying details.

"Once we collect biological samples from relatives, we send them for molecular-genetic testing. All DNA profiles enter the electronic registry of human genomic information," Tetiana Marchenko, an investigator with the Vinnytsia Regional Police, told Kontur.

"We search for information about the missing person within electronic databases that already contain data on the deceased -- those returned through repatriation efforts whose remains are examined by forensic and medical experts," she said.

Maria and Vasyl Chernyk, now living in Poland, have submitted DNA while searching for their son Oleh, who disappeared near Berestove in December 2023.

Maria Chernyk told Kontur she still hopes he is alive.

"They have returned many bodies from the front lines where fierce battles took place, but my son was not among them. The DNA does not match," she said.

According to Pestrikov, Ukrainians in Poland with missing relatives can receive information and psychological assistance through the Ukrainian House Foundation.

"We can refer these individuals to organizations that specialize in assisting people with missing relatives," he said.