Ukraine has announced the repatriation of 563 Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies from Russian authorities, marking one of the largest exchanges of military remains since the war began in 2022.
The bodies, mostly of troops who died in combat in the eastern Donetsk region, were returned through a coordinated effort between the two countries.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the exchange on social media, revealing that 320 bodies were brought back from Donetsk, with 89 of the soldiers having perished near Bakhmut, a town captured by Russian forces in May 2023 after a fierce battle.
Additionally, 154 bodies were returned from morgues in Russia.
This exchange of bodies and prisoners remains one of the few instances of cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow amidst the ongoing conflict.
However, neither Russia nor Ukraine has released official figures on the total number of military casualties since the war’s onset.
The repatriation highlights the ongoing human toll of the war, with efforts to return fallen soldiers to their home countries continuing despite the broader geopolitical tensions.
