Ukraine returns bodies of 757 fallen defenders

The Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War reported the return of 757 fallen Ukrainian defenders’ bodies from various frontline locations.

The repatriation efforts involved multiple state agencies and international partners.

The last significant repatriation of Ukrainian soldiers occurred on 18 October 2024, when Russia returned the remains of 501 Ukrainian soldiers, marking the largest repatriation since the invasion began in February 2022.

There are an estimated tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers captured and possibly held in Russia, making repatriation complex due to ongoing hostilities and negotiations surrounding prisoner exchanges.

The recovered bodies returned on 24 January were retrieved from several key directions:

• 451 from the Donetsk direction
• 137 from the Zaporizhzhia direction
• 71 from the Bakhmut direction
• 51 from the Vuhledar direction
• 13 from the Luhansk direction
• 34 bodies recovered from morgues in Russian territory

The International Committee of the Red Cross provided an assistance in the process. Special recognition was given to the Armed Forces personnel responsible for transporting the fallen heroes to specialized state institutions.

Law enforcement investigators, working with forensic experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will identify the deceased.

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