Ukraine receives bodies of 909 fallen soldiers in latest repatriation effort

The bodies of 909 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were returned to Ukraine following repatriation efforts, according to the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Affairs, which made the announcement on Friday, April 18.

Among the repatriated soldiers, those who fell in the regions of Kurakhiv, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Ugledar, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, as well as from morgues in Russian territory, were included, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will transport these repatriated fallen soldiers to designated facilities for transfer to law enforcement agencies. Forensic examinations will be conducted to identify the individuals.

The Coordination Headquarters expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross in facilitating the repatriation.

This is part of a broader effort that saw nearly two hundred Ukrainian defenders return home over a month ago. These 175 defenders had been held in Russian prisons and camps.

On the Russian side, the remains of 41 individuals were returned. This exchange was reported by Russian State Duma deputy Shamsail Saraliyev.

Saraliyev further explained that the most recent exchange of bodies took place on March 28. During that exchange, Russia returned 43 bodies, while Ukraine returned the 909 bodies of fallen soldiers.

In total, over the past two years, nearly 9,000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen have been repatriated as part of this ongoing effort.

By Tamilla Hasanova