Bodies of 252 Deceased Returned to Ukraine

On September 17, following repatriation efforts, the bodies of 252 deceased individuals were returned to Ukraine.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported this.

According to the Russian side, the bodies handed over belong to Ukrainian citizens, specifically military personnel.

Law enforcement investigators, in collaboration with expert agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct the necessary examinations to identify the deceased.

The repatriation was made possible through the joint efforts of the Coordination Headquarters, the Joint Center under the SSU, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Missing Persons, the State Emergency Service, and other agencies in the security and defense sector.

The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the return of the remains.

Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are transporting the repatriated remains to specialized facilities and handing them over to representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic medical examiners.

The last time Moscow and Kyiv exchanged the bodies of fallen soldiers was August 13. At that time, Russia handed over 261 bodies to Ukraine.

Ukrainian investigators have repeatedly documented cases where Russia handed over the remains of its own servicemen along with the bodies of Ukrainian defenders.