ІДЕНТИФІКАЦІЯ НЕВІДОМИХ ОСІБ ЗА ОСОБЛИВОСТЯМИ НА КІСТКОВИХ РЕШТКАХ

Identification of a person based on the individual characteristics of bone remains is a complex and very important task in the work of a forensic medical expert-criminalist. Thanks to individual characteristics, it is possible to establish not only gender, age or height, but also to identify a person. The armed russian aggression against Ukraine has led to the death of a large number of military and civilian personnel, whose identification is not always possible, and every person deserves to be identified and properly buried. The aim of the study. Analysis of individual characteristics revealed in skeletal remains which led to the identification of unknown persons. Materials and methods. Practical cases are presented, utilizing Expert Findings from the archive of the Lviv Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination. Scientific research. This investigation is part of the scientific research project of the Department of Pathological Anatomy and Forensic Medicine at the State Institution "Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University" entitled "Study of pathogenetic mechanisms and pathomorphological features of diseases of the endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems aimed at enhancing their morphological diagnosis" (state registration number 0123U201668, implementation period: 2023-2027). Bioethics. The research materials were approved by the Bioethics Committee of the State Institution " Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University " (Protocol № 14, December 20, 2023). Results: Practical cases demonstrate individual features on the skeletal remains that were discovered during forensic examination, which allowed the identification of the deceased individuals. Conclusion: These cases demonstrate the importance of conducting forensic medical examinations of bone remains with the determination of individual identifying features.