Ukraine receives 1,000 bodies claimed by Russia as fallen soldiers
Ukraine repatriated 1,000 bodies and remains on Thursday, which Russia claims belong to fallen Ukrainian defenders, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
The return was facilitated by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ukrainian investigators and forensic experts will now conduct examinations, including mandatory DNA testing, to identify the remains.
The Coordination Headquarters noted that Russia sometimes mixes remains — placing parts of one person in different packages or across separate repatriation stages — which significantly prolongs the identification process.
In past exchanges, authorities have identified and returned at least three bodies of Russian citizens that Moscow attempted to transfer alongside Ukrainian fallen.
The previous large-scale repatriation occurred on January 29, when another 1,000 bodies claimed by Russia to be Ukrainian were returned.