Ukraine Completes Repatriation of 6,000 War Casualties

Ukraine has completed the repatriation of 6,000 bodies of those killed in the war under the Istanbul agreements.

Rustem Umierov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, reported on this.

As part of the latest repatriation, which took place today, June 16, 2025, another 1,245 bodies of the deceased, identified by the Russian side as Ukrainian citizens, including servicemen, were returned to Ukraine.

This was the final stage of the repatriation efforts carried out under the agreements reached in Istanbul.

During this stage, Ukraine managed to return 6,057 bodies of the deceased, who will undergo thorough identification. Investigative bodies and expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be working on this, particularly within the framework of forensic medical examination.

The repatriation efforts were made possible thanks to the coordinated work of the staff of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other structures of the Security and Defense Sector.

Special thanks were expressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance in returning the bodies to their homeland.

“We are not stopping. Ahead lies the next stage: the fight for the return of prisoners,” the Coordination Headquarters stated.

It should be noted that clarifying citizenship became important due to known cases where Russia attempted to hand over the bodies of its own citizens along with fallen Ukrainian soldiers during exchanges.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated during a briefing on June 4 that the parties had agreed on proper preparations for the return of bodies to ensure their clear identification.

Previous repatriations

After the Istanbul agreements, the return of bodies took place almost daily.

For instance, on June 15, the bodies of 1,200 deceased were returned. And on June 14, 2025, under the agreements, another 1,200 bodies were successfully returned, which, according to the information provided, belong to Ukrainian citizens, including servicemen.

Additionally, a few days ago, on June 13, 2025, the bodies of fallen defenders who gave their lives for the homeland were also returned.

That time, 1,212 fallen were returned, and the relevant authorities are conducting their identification and informing the families for a dignified burial and honoring.

On May 16, Ukraine managed to return the bodies of 909 fallen soldiers. On April 18, the bodies of 909 deceased defenders were also returned.

At the end of March, Ukrainian services managed to return the bodies of another 909 Ukrainian defenders. And in February, another 757 fallen soldiers were returned.

Last December, Ukraine returned 503 fallen defenders for proper burial. On November 29, the coordination headquarters reported that the bodies of 502 fallen servicemen had arrived in Ukraine.

On November 8, it was possible to bring back the bodies of 563 fallen Ukrainian defenders. And on October 18, the bodies of 501 fallen Ukrainian defenders were returned.