The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is one of the oldest state expert institutions in Ukraine. The Institute was founded on July 4, 1913, as the Office of Scientific Forensic Examination under the Prosecutor of the Kyiv Judicial Chamber.
The functions of the Office were to conduct forensic examinations on the instructions of pre-trial investigation bodies and courts; develop and creation of methods and techniques for the study of material evidence in criminal and civil cases; conduct explanatory work with bodies appointing forensic examinations; participate in scientific conferences (congresses) of criminologists and forensic physicians.
In 1925, the Office was reorganized into the Institute of Scientific and Forensic Expertise, which is staffed by specialists from various fields of knowledge – lawyers, chemists, biologists, physicians, physicists, psychiatrists and other specialists.
The priority direction in these years is research work, in which an important place is occupied by the identification of firearms, microphotography, determination of blood group affiliation, toxicological analysis, development of methods for the destruction of organic substances and determination of alkaloids, development of theoretical issues of forensic science.
The Great Patriotic War terminated the activity of the institute, the restoration of which took place in 1944.
In the 50s and 60s, the Institute was developing highly sensitive physical and chemical methods for studying material evidence in order to determine the nature of substances, their common group affiliation and a single source of origin, methods of comparative analysis of medicinal compounds, soil samples, etc., as well as determining traces of a shot at close range.
Since 1964, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise has become the main institution for the publication of the interdepartmental scientific and methodological collection “Criminalistics and Forensics”, which highlights the problems of the theory of criminalistics and forensic examination, tactics and methods of investigating certain types of crimes, issues related to the development of new and improvement of existing methods and techniques for conducting various types of forensic examinations.
During the period of existence of the collection, 68 of its issues were published.
In the late 80s, new laboratories were created: commodity research, construction and technical, forensic economics, computer, phonoscopic and laser research.
In 1990, the Ternopil Branch of the Institute was established, in 1998 – Vinnytsia and Cherkasy Branches, in 2001 – Chernihiv Branch, in 2009 – Zhytomyr Branch, in 2012 – Khmelnytskyi Branch, in 2017 – Ivano-Frankivsk, Kropyvnytskyi, Chernivtsi Branches.
Today, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise is a leading institution in the field of forensic examinations, which employs well-known scientists and professionals, highly qualified experts who conduct forensic examinations and expert research. The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise plays an important role in ensuring the quality of justice and the objectivity of court decisions, actively engages in forensic examinations and conducts scientific research aimed at creating a reliable evidence base to ensure justice and trust in the judicial system of Ukraine.
Since its establishment, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise has provided scientific and methodological support to courts of all levels, all law enforcement agencies and other state institutions of Ukraine, as well as individuals and legal entities, performing a wide range of forensic examinations at a high scientific level.
For more than 110 years of existence, the specialists of the Institute have performed more than 2.3 million examinations, including about 1.1 million during the years of independence of Ukraine, published more than 4,000 scientific works, and carried out more than 700 research developments, including about 500 during the years of Ukraine’s independence.
A significant percentage of examinations assigned to the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise are complex and multi-object examinations in high-profile criminal proceedings, etc. The institute conducts examinations in 96 expert specialities. Examinations on the study of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors are especially popular; computer-technical and handwriting examinations, forensic-technical examination of documents, copyright, psychological, construction-technical, ecological, land-technical, road-technical, railway-transport examinations, as well as occupational health and safety examination, and since the beginning of the war in russia against Ukraine, the most necessary are military, explosive, commodity, economic, environmental examination, artillery weapons research, etc.
The experts of the Institute conduct examinations in the field of telecommunication systems and facilities, within which topical issues related to unauthorized access to telecommunication systems and individual information resources are resolved. Particularly relevant in this direction at present are studies related to the study of malicious software.
Work is actively carried out on the accreditation of forensic laboratories for compliance with international standards of activity.
In 2015, new types of examinations were introduced, namely military and psychological expertise.
The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise conducts its activities in accordance with the Certificate of Accreditation in accordance with the requirements of DSTU ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of research on narcotic drugs of plant origin; study of mixtures of asphalt concrete and road asphalt concrete; research and testing of firearms and cartridges for them and products structurally similar to them; conducting research on tools, instruments and their traces; research of shoes and their traces; research and testing of cold weapons and structurally similar products; technical examination of documents; research and testing of explosive devices (including pyrotechnic products) and structurally similar products, as well as traces of their use; computer and technical research on the search for existing and deleted information; study of the technical condition of vehicles (accreditation certificate No. 201141 dated 02.07.2020).
The Institute is licensed (AE No. 190210 dated 22.12.2017) of the State Service of Ukraine for Drug Control for the acquisition, storage, destruction, and use of narcotic drugs (List 1 of Table I, List 1 of Table II and List 1 of Table III), psychotropic substances (List 2 of Table I, List 2 of Table III and List 2 of Table II), precursors (List 2 of Table IV and List 1 of Table IV) of the “List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors”.
The Certificate of Accreditation was also received in accordance with the requirements of DSTU EN ISO/IEC 17020:2019 in the field of inspection of forensic examinations of intellectual property, military property, life safety and occupational health and safety; handwriting, linguistic, psychological, military, commodity, transport and commodity, art, construction and technical, economic expertise.
The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise has a certificate on the subject of valuation activities, in particular, the valuation of objects in material form, valuation of integral property complexes, shares, securities, property rights and intangible assets, including intellectual property objects, valuation of real estate, valuation of machinery and equipment, assessment of wheeled vehicles, assessment of aircraft, assessment of shipping facilities, assessment of movable objects.
The Institute has passed state certification as a scientific institution (Certificate No. 00018 dated 31.05.2019).
In addition, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise is a member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI).
Also, one of the main directions of activity of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise is research work aimed at increasing the effectiveness of scientific research in the field of forensic examination, development of theoretical and practical issues of forensic examination, as well as methods and methods of forensic examination taking into account modern achievements of science and technology.
The results of scientific research correspond to the world level, which is evidenced by many security documents and patents.
The Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise has an international reputation, employees of the institute take an active part in Ukrainian and international symposia, conferences, seminars, and experience exchange programs. Experts are participants in commission examinations together with colleagues from other Ukrainian and foreign expert institutions.
