Ukrainians have sent images of the dead bodies to the families of Russian soldiers, according to a report by CNN, which also alleged that the bodies of Russian soldiers were stacked in a freight train.
"Every Russian dead soldier that is stored here has committed a crime," one person told CNN. "Storing the bodies of the enemies aligns with the rules of war set out by the Geneva Convention. After the end of the phase of combat, the parties must exchange the parties of the dead military."
The Ukrainian Digital Transformation Ministry has used facial recognition technology in order to identify the dead Russian soldiers, according to the report, and the technology cross-references to confirm their identities using social media. The ministry has reportedly identified over 300 bodies.
"We send messages to their friends and relatives," after confirming the dead Russian soldiers' identities. However, when asked why they send photos of corpses of Russian soldiers, the ministry said there were "two goals: one, to show the Russians that there is a real war going on here, to fight against the Russian propaganda, that the Russians aren't as strong as they are shown on TV and that they are really dying here. The second is to give [the families] an opportunity to pick up the bodies in Ukraine."
80% of families' responses, the report says, are "we'll come to Ukraine ourselves and kill you. And you deserve what's happening to you." The other 20% consists of responses that they're grateful and aware of the situation in Ukraine, and that they would like to come and pick up the body. The ministry said that they do not express concern or guilt about sending those photos, according to CNN.
Facial recognition technology is also being used to identify Russian soldiers who are still alive that have allegedly committed war crimes. One Russian soldier has been accused of taking part in the massacre of four Ukrainian men with their hands tied behind their backs.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned Ukraine in March to not post videos of prisoners of war (POWs). The HRW stated that it is a violation of the Geneva Convention.