When the investigation unites efforts with science new forensic tools and types of expert research appear. Ballistic expertise as a kind of forensic expertise today is one of the most popular, despite of the events that are happening in our country. The experts of KFI have performed more than a dozen researches related to the resonant affairs of the society.
Experts establish details of the different situations, performing research of weapons and ammunition as well as traces’ research and circumstances of shots. When ballistic expertise is appointed, bullets and cartridges, firearms and objects with firearms traces, ammunition and related documents are at the disposal of the experts. As a rule, objects for research are provided in a state when they were identified by the investigation. Bullets and shells removed from the crime scenes are primarily directed to fingerprinting and then to biological and ballistic expertise.
Experts solve four groups of tasks when investigating objects of forensic ballistic:
Identification is the tasks of establishing individual identity or group affiliation. Identification of weapons is possible on the tracks on cartridges and shells (shells,small shots, case shots), since the details of weapons leave their traces on it;
Classification tasks are aimed at solving the following issues: is this item a firearm, an if so, to which kind (model, type) it refers to; if it is for shooting, what type of the weapon this shell is intended and etc.;
Diagnostic tasks are aimed at to establishing the state and properties of the weapon, for example, the penetrating capability of the missile at a certain distance etc.;
Situational tasks are always connected with the analysis of the elements of the events that are considered in dynamics. It turns out the following features like: in what position was the victim in at the time of the shot; from what distance and what direction and in what sequence shots were done.
Thus, one of the main values of forensic ballistics is the development of methods and tools that allow the traces of a shot to establish the real circumstances of the events under investigation.
The ballistic experts of KFI together with military experts investigated and clarified the circumstances of the tragic events in the area of ATO, in particular, the crash of the military aircraft “IL-76” and the conduct of special operations in Debaltsevo.
Together with Prosecutor General’ Office of Ukraine, the experts of KFI continue to conduct investigative actions concerning the activists’ shooting during the Revolution of Dignity. The experts of ballistic, explosives and geodestics, based on eyewitnesses’ testimony, simulate the events of the time and find out from what distance, place and what the weapon were used towards the victims, vehicles and other objects. Researches can identify the exact location where the citizens were killed as well as location of snipers and casualties.
In addition, a group of experts of KFI carried out a number of examinations on the fact of explosions and fire at military depots of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in Balaklia town of Kharkiv Oblast. The working group led by the experts of KIF conducted comprehensive research to clarify circumstances of explosions and reasons led to it.
The ballistic experts of KFI help law enforcement agencies to find out detail of attempted assassinations on people’s lives, circumstances of murders and accidents. At the request of journalists the expert of KFI assisted in the analysis of the circumstances of the gunshot wound of Yevhen Kushnarov, which caused the death of the politician. The expert also told about the types and features of the use of bullets of different models, the mechanism of their action and their action under different weather conditions. The expert also explained the feature of bullets when they hit in various types of surfaces, the strength and speed of the shot, taking into account the characteristics of different locality, type of interaction with obstacles as well as the flight of the bullet in ricochet.
The experts of KFI from ballistic and trasology’s departments are working on researches of different situations, regardless of time limits. Thus, at the present time, in Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, in accordance with a court order, together with forensic experts will be conducted a comprehensive research of the death of Volodymyr Ivasiuk.The experts of KFI will carry out experts’ and investigative experiments to find out circumstances of the death o the outstanding Ukrainian composer and put an end to the final version of the investigation.
In general, experts of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise perform unique research and contribute to the development to the justice in our country. Over 104-year existence period, more than a million examinations were carried out in KFI and this number is growing daily. The Institute managed to become one of the leaders in matters of practical and scientific and methodological provision of forensic activity in our country. We are proud of the existing experience and continue the path of our own development and improvement.
