Ukraine returns bodies of 140 fallen defenders

Ukraine returns bodies of 140 fallen defenders (Getty Images)

Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of an additional 140 servicemen who lost their lives in the war, with the majority of the fallen heroes having fought on the Donetsk front, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

The bodies of the fallen warriors have been returned to territory controlled by Ukraine. 112 bodies of defenders who fought on the Donetsk front, 20 fallen soldiers from the Luhansk front, five from the Sumy front, two from the Zaporizhzhia front, and one from the Kherson front have been repatriated.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers will initially be handed over to law enforcement agencies and forensic experts. This is necessary to establish the identities of the deceased.

The repatriation of the soldiers’ bodies was carried out by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

POW exchange

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine and Russia have conducted a series of exchanges of prisoners of war. Since August 2023, the Russian Federation has frozen the exchange of prisoners with Ukraine.

At the beginning of the year, Ukraine succeeded in repatriating 230 defenders, which was the largest prisoner exchange.

Recently, the Pope called on Russia and Ukraine to exchange prisoners of war according to the “all for all” formula. Ukraine has indicated its readiness for such a step, but Russia is ignoring the initiative.