Ukraine receives 1,000 bodies of fallen defenders in latest exchange
Ukraine and Russia have carried out an exchange of bodies of the dead, with Ukraine receiving the remains of 1,000 individuals that the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
According to the BBC's Russian service, Russia received 41 bodies in the exchange.
After repatriation, law enforcement investigators working with forensic institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will conduct the necessary examinations to identify the deceased. Once identities are established, the bodies will be handed over to families for a dignified burial.
The verification process is necessary because Russia has previously attempted to include the bodies of its own citizens among those of Ukrainian soldiers during exchanges. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia sometimes returns bodies along with Russian passports, which he believes is done deliberately to understate its own losses.
- Share: