Bodies of thousands of dead returned to Ukraine

Bodies of 1000 dead returned to Ukraine as a result of repatriation operations

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHPOW), according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.

"The bodies were returned as a result of joint work of the staff of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center at the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other structures of the Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine, " the statement said.

Law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies.

In June, repatriation activities continued in accordance with the agreements in Istanbul. Then another 1,200 bodies were returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, belonged to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.

Also returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity were defenders under the age of 25, as well as defenders who were injured and had health problems. Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including representatives of the Navy, Army, Airborne Forces, and the Special Forces, as well as soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service, returned to their homeland.

"The overwhelming majority of the released defenders were held in captivity for more than three years. A significant number of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol," the statement said.

The specificity of today's exchange is that young soldiers were brought home. The youngest defender is 24 years old and was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21. The oldest defender who was returned to his homeland is 62 years old.

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