Ukraine returns body of Sri Lankan national who fought for Russia

The Ukrainian government-backed project I Want to Live said on October 22 that the remains of Rohan Kumar Sudi were transferred to Russia during a repatriation operation involving fallen military personnel.

The project said Sudi had served as a combatant in Russia's armed forces and that his remains were therefore handed over to the Russian side. Sri Lanka would now need to formally request their return from Russia, it added.

According to I Want to Live, Russian authorities generally bury or cremate foreign nationals killed while serving in their military rather than arranging for their remains to be returned to their home countries. The claim could not be independently verified.

The project said it had identified more than 5,000 foreign nationals who died while serving in Russia's military as of early 2026. It alleged that some were killed in combat, while others were murdered by fellow Russian personnel in a practice known as obnuleniye, or "zeroing out."

Those figures and allegations have not been independently verified.

I Want to Live called on governments whose citizens have been recruited by Russia to press Moscow to return both surviving recruits and the remains of those killed, and to prevent further recruitment for the war against Ukraine.

According to figures previously released by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, at least 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and representatives of unrecognized territories had signed contracts with Russia's armed forces as of October 2026.

The transfer of Sudi's remains took place on the same day Ukraine received the bodies of 252 people whom Russia identified as Ukrainian service members. Their identities have yet to be confirmed through examination.