Ukraine Says Russia Returned 1,000 Bodies of Fallen Soldiers

 Ukraine has announced that Russia has returned the bodies of about 1,000 individuals, believed to be Ukrainian servicemen who died in the ongoing war.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in Kyiv confirmed the development on Thursday, describing it as one of the largest body repatriations since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

According to the statement, the handover was carried out in cooperation with international humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated the transportation and verification process.

“Repatriation measures took place today. One thousand bodies, which according to the Russian side belong to Ukrainian servicemen, have been returned to Ukraine,” the headquarters said.

Ukrainian officials said forensic experts have begun the process of identifying the remains so that the soldiers can be properly honored and laid to rest. The government also pledged to contact the families of the deceased once identification is complete.

While Ukraine did not immediately disclose if any Russian bodies were returned as part of the exchange, similar repatriations have taken place periodically throughout the war under international mediation.

The latest exchange comes amid continued hostilities across eastern and southern Ukraine, where fierce battles persist. Despite the ongoing conflict, both sides have occasionally cooperated on humanitarian efforts, including prisoner swaps and recovery of the war dead.

This repatriation underscores the human cost of the nearly three-year-long conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions since Russia’s invasion.