The investigation is clearly designed to settle the identity of the remains presently identified as those of Alexei and Maria in the shortest time possible. Samples will be taken from skeletal material identified as that of Alexei, Maria, Nicholas II and Alexandra, from the blood-stained uniform of Nicholas's grandfather Alexander II, and from the body of Alexandra's sister Elizabeth.
This suggests that mitochondrial DNA will be compared between Alexandra, Elizabeth, Alexei and Maria, and identities will be confirmed if they share the same type of mtDNA. It also suggests that Y-DNA will be extracted from Alexander II, Nicholas II and Alexei, and identities will be confirmed if they share the same Y-DNA signature.
Results of previous DNA tests published in Western journals had concluded that Nicholas and Alexei shared their Y-DNA signature, while Alexandra shared her mtDNA signature with Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. The new tests are presumably designed to strengthen the evidence that the family members are indeed related to more distant relatives, like Alexander II and Elizabeth. Such evidence was included in the previously published results, but the external comparisons were made with individuals who lived outside Russia, so that the Russian authorities had no way of checking these.
