3D Scanning Will Be Used in Ukraine to Document Evidence of War Crimes

The war in Ukraine has been going on for over half a year. Due to the chaotic nature of the conflict, potential evidence can be quickly lost. Artec has announced that it will support the Ukrainian police, notably working with the Human Rights Conduct Department of the National Police of Ukraine for the forensic documentation of evidence against various crimes throughout the territory of Ukraine.

Ruslan Horyachenko, head of the Human Rights Department of the National Police of Ukraine, explained the reasoning behind the move, commenting, “Since the beginning of the war, the National Police of Ukraine has initiated more than 89,500 criminal proceedings based on the facts of crimes committed under martial law. The National Police of Ukraine collects evidence every day. And new documentation technologies are useful, including 3D technology. Therefore, we decided to start this cooperation with the Luxembourg company Artec 3D.”

Using 3D Scanning to Preserve Evidence in Ukraine

3D scanners can be used in various ways during the conflict. On one hand, they can be used to document evidence of war crimes, and on the other, they can be used for forensic facial reconstruction of victims. The technology is also suitable for documenting human remains and preserving evidence of damage to homes, vehicles, and affected infrastructure. And it does so quickly and accurately so that the evidence can be stored and not destroyed, for example, by evacuating and cleaning affected cities.

The Artec Leo 3D scanner is the chosen tool that makes it possible to scan evidence and entire crime scenes, indoors and outdoors, extremely quickly and without any prior knowledge on the part of the user. It is also wireless and portable, making it suitable for areas with destroyed infrastructure. Forensic experts can then analyze the data collected immediately afterward in true-to-life color and 3D renderings.

In addition, the fast and secure upload of the captured data to cloud storage allows investigators, authorized agencies, and criminal courts to access and process the data from anywhere in the world. The captured 3D evidence is a lifelike image that can be used in legal proceedings. Artyom Yukhin, CEO and President of Artec 3D, concluded, “We’re really honored to be able to work with Ukrainian police, and are glad that our technologies can be put towards such an important application.”

*Cover Photo Credits: Artec 3D