Ukraine Receives 1,000 Bodies of Fallen Soldiers from Russia as Part of Ongoing Repatriation Efforts

Ukraine announced on Thursday that it has received the remains of 1,000 individuals from Russia, which Moscow identified as deceased Ukrainian soldiers, marking the latest repatriation effort between the warring nations.

The exchange of prisoners of war and remains of fallen soldiers represents one of the few remaining areas where Kyiv and Moscow continue to cooperate since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Today, repatriation measures took place. 1000 bodies, claimed by the Russian side to belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine," stated Kyiv's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in a social media announcement.

The Ukrainian agency further mentioned that investigators and specialists "will soon carry out all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies."

Russian state media, citing unnamed sources, reported that the bodies of 1,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were transferred in exchange for the remains of 30 Russian soldiers.

According to publicly available information, Ukraine has received approximately 15,000 repatriated bodies from Russia throughout the ongoing conflict.