Ukraine has become one of the first countries to implement large-scale use of an advanced necrodactyloscopy method – a technique for extracting fingerprints from the bodies of the deceased in critical condition.
The uniqueness of this approach lies in its effectiveness, where traditional methods are either ineffective or too time-consuming.
In response to the tragedies of war, Ukrainian specialists have adapted the classical fingerprinting technique to ensure identification even in cases where other methods, such as DNA analysis or visual recognition, fail.
No other country in the world simultaneously possesses such a high level of expertise and such an urgent need.
From July 28 to 31, a four-day training session was held in Dnipro, organized by the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, which brought together forensic experts and criminal investigators from over ten Ukrainian regions. Participants studied and practiced a methodology that allows for the identification of individuals even in the most difficult cases – after prolonged exposure to open terrain, being buried, or trapped under debris.
The R.T. Weatherman Foundation is a charitable organization that has actively supported Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
It is led by Meaghan Mobbs, the daughter of retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who serves as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine.
“War presents us with unprecedented challenges and demands difficult decisions. Every day, we see how crucial it is to quickly and accurately identify the fallen – to return their names to their families and give loved ones the chance to say a dignified goodbye. So that those who gave their lives for Ukraine are named and honored,” said Mobbs, who is the president of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation.
Photo: R.T. Weatherman Foundation.
As the foundation told Kyiv Post, it organizes training programs and leads the development of a national identification strategy, helping to restore names to Ukrainian defenders and foreign volunteers, even using just fragmented remains. Over two years of work, more than a hundred individuals have been identified.
“The use of the necrodactyloscopy technique opens new possibilities for our experts in complex identification cases, where other methods often fall short. This training will help us accelerate the process while improving accuracy – which is critical in supporting the families of the fallen,” said Iryna Khoroshaieva, Director for R.T. Weatherman’s Warfare Victim Identification Program.
The training included theoretical lectures and intensive hands-on practice. Participants included experts from regional forensic bureaus and units of the National Police. The method allows for identification even when bodies have undergone severe changes due to battlefield conditions or time.
The Foundation has submitted the methodology and recommendations for standardized practices to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the National Police, where they are currently under review. This concerns not only a new technique but also the creation of a unified database, registries, and interagency cooperation.
Photo: R.T. Weatherman Foundation.
“The implementation of this methodology has the potential to change the systemic approach to identifying war victims and strengthen support for the families of the missing and fallen. It creates a new evidentiary base (papillary patterns), supports the development of registries, and fosters interagency teamwork,” the R.T. Weatherman Foundation press office said.
Going forward, the team will focus on scaling the methodology – nationally and internationally.
“This training program is an important step in supporting Ukrainian forensic medical experts, criminalists, and investigators who are on the front lines of this effort,” Mobbs said.
Photo: R.T. Weatherman Foundation.
“A peace at all costs is not peace at all, it’s surrender, so we have to be very careful about what peace means,” Mobbs said last February in exclusive interview with Kyiv Post.
As the head of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, she has played a key role in providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine for at least the past three years.
“I do think that means ensuring that it is durable and it is just. And what I mean by that is that there have to be security guarantees. I think there has to be the establishment of principles so that this won’t happen again. And then I think there has to be justice served,” she said.
Mobbs, who graduated from West Point and became a paratrooper, holds a masters in forensic psychology from George Washington University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia University.
She emphasized the need for justice regarding crimes committed during the war, particularly against women and children who were victims of violence, executed prisoners of war, and kidnapped children. She stressed that the West cannot simply look away, as it has “an obligation and a moral authority to call attention to all of those things” and must not view a ceasefire as a definitive solution.
Looking ahead, Mobbs made it clear that her work would not stop with Ukraine’s victory. “We’re going to be here, right? After Ukraine’s victory, there’s still going to be a need for things to be done here.”
She stressed that support for Ukraine must continue long after the war ends, especially for those who have sacrificed so much.
“Veterans are going to be so important to be cared for here. There has to be the reintegration of all those fighting back into society. Families are going to need to be cared for, children.”
For Mobbs, Ukraine’s victory would mark the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of her foundation’s work: “This is not the end of Weatherman. If there is a victory, this is just the beginning.”
Under her leadership, the R.T. Weatherman Foundation has set up a logistics hub on the Romanian-Ukrainian border, delivering over 10,000 pallets of medicine, medical supplies, and aid to more than 70 Ukrainian hospitals and humanitarian organizations. In addition to providing aid, the foundation also evacuates wounded American volunteers fighting in Ukraine to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for specialized treatment and assists in repatriating the remains of fallen US soldiers.