Ministry of Justice receives unique tool for war crime investigations
Highly precise and cutting-edge – specialists at Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice now have a powerful tool for documenting and analysing evidence in the most challenging conditions. This is the JDEAL comprehensive forensic laboratory, donated to Ukraine by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The unveiling of the state-of-the-art laboratory was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Minister of Justice Andrii Haichenko, Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine Alle Dorhout, Deputy Defence Attaché of the Netherlands Embassy in Ukraine Patrick Urselmann, as well as the leadership and staff of the scientific institute.
“This laboratory is a vital tool for justice. Every war crime must be documented and proven to the highest international standards. We are grateful to the Government of the Netherlands for their decision to provide substantial support to institutions under the Ministry of Justice. This is clear evidence of trust in Ukraine and our work. I am confident that we will soon see how this laboratory has strengthened our forensic capabilities,” said Olha Stefanishyna.
The laboratory consists of six specialised modules:
- Molecular-genetic
- Physicochemical
- Fingerprint analysis
- Photographic documentation and microscopic analysis
- Forensic analysis of physical evidence
- Engineering-technical
This mobile laboratory is a true forensic hub, integrating the most advanced equipment for research in biology, chemistry, DNA analysis, computer technology, explosives, gunshot residue, and digital traces.
Examples of its capabilities include recovering deleted data from mobile phones, computers, and even cloud services such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, iCloud, or Google.
The physicochemical module, for instance, can simultaneously determine the fat content in four samples of food or animal feed with a single button press. Such analyses could help uncover cases of substandard food supplies provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“This is the largest donation, the most significant foreign aid, and investment in the Ukrainian forensic system under the Ministry of Justice in its entire history. The focus of this laboratory is conducting investigations related to war crimes. There is also a high demand for such analyses in civilian life. We will be able to fully meet the needs of the National Police, Security Service of Ukraine, State Bureau of Investigation, Economic Security Bureau, and National Anti-Corruption Bureau,” said Andrii Haichenko.
Other equipment in the laboratory includes the INFICON GC/MS portable chromatograph-mass spectrometer, designed for rapid and accurate identification of chemical substances directly at the scene. This device delivers lab-quality results in under 10 minutes, which is critical for making swift decisions in security and public health contexts.
The ToxiRAE Pro LEL and ChemPro 100 analysers detect flammable substances, chemical vapours, and chemical weapons. They are used to analyse materials from de-occupied territories to identify traces of hazardous substances.
Equally important is the microscopy module. The Granum L3002 with a digital video camera enables experts to examine biological samples in real time and document the smallest details.
The use of this laboratory in forensic practice will allow for the swift and scientifically robust resolution of issues related to judicial evidence, addressing the challenges of wartime conditions.