VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Police Officers from Ukraine spent time in Volusia County to learn about DNA technology that will help them identify bodies in warzones faster.
Colonel Serhii Bolvinov, Head of Investigations in the Kharkiv Region and General Andrii Niebyotv, head of the National Police Force of Ukraine shared a presentation with a room full of Volusia County law enforcement on Thursday.
The pair said it was difficult to describe what’s really happening there so they thought it was best to show it instead.
Their specific reason for being in Volusia County was to learn about a technology known as ANDE. It gives rapid DNA results.
The Executive Director of the Police Research Forum based in Washington D.C., Chuck Wexler has been working closely with officers in Ukraine.
“His job as head of investigations is to document every single person that has been killed because someday when they are held accountable you need that information and the rapid DNA allows them to identify people very quickly,” said Wexler.
A translator for the officers said the visit was an opportunity of a lifetime and a break from their brutal reality.
“It’s been a while since they’ve seen a large body of water since the war started. They used to be able to go on family vacations but obviously since 2022, they haven’t been able to do that,” said the translator.
More than 100,000 Ukrainian Officers have died since 2022. On top of regular police work, they’re now also being asked to assist in the war effort.
“They have to go into these villages or towns whether they’re under attack or not under attack. How do you begin an investigation when there’s hundreds of people and body parts all over the place? So. That’s one of the things they’re doing in the United States is looking at how we do things,” said Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
When the officers leave Volusia County, they’ll head to New York City to meet with police there and learn about other technologies.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
