There is a group of Ukrainian volunteers called “Plastdarm” dedicated to visiting battlefields and identifying the bodies. Their mission is to ensure that each fallen soldier is laid to rest in a grave, close to his loved ones, resting forever in the land where he was born.

The people at 'Plastdarm' do their work of identification regardless of the origin of the bodies found after the battle: they try to figure out the names of Russians and Ukrainians who fell in combat, alike.

In the case of the Ukrainian casualties, the aim is to send the bodies back to their hometowns for burial by their families. The fallen Russians can serve as bargaining chips in negotiations with Moscow. These are the terrible rules of a ruthless war like the one in Ukraine.

These images are from a work day of the 'Plastsdarm' group identifying bodies recovered in the Kharkiv region and Bakhmut district on September 19, 2024 near Sloviansk, Donetsk region.

Following the trail of death after the fighting is hard work. In the picture, Yuriy, leader of the group 'Plastdarm' takes a break from his work.

The 'Plastdarm' group is the hope of mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters of soldiers or civilians who have disappeared at the front. According to France Press, Ukraine has recorded some 370,000 missing persons since the Russian invasion.

But they also do their job in 'Plastdarm' by identifying enemy soldiers, who also have mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters waiting for them.

Finding out who the soldier is whose body was abandoned after the battle is a painstaking task, especially since the remains are sometimes recovered after months of being left behind.

Humans need a ritual of farewell in which there is a physical trace of the deceased. Thus, mourning, with a funeral and burial, is complete. That is why it is so important that each body be identified.

War is equal parts cruelty and heroism. But it is also the silent work that is carried out on the edges of the conflict, such as the identification of lifeless remains, which aims to restore humanity to the bodies abandoned on the battlefield.

Uniforms, Bibles, photographs, medals... And forensic analysis. 'Plastdarm' works with all these elements.

'Plastdarm' works in the backyard of the Ukrainian conflict, trying to clean up the devastated landscapes where the war has taken place.

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