Another 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainians return home after exchange with Russia
Ukraine recovered another 1,200 bodies following the latest round of repatriation efforts, following agreements with Russia in Istanbul, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on June 15.
The last repatriation took place on June 14 when the bodies of 1,200 fallen Ukrainians were given back. Before that, 2,412 bodies were returned on June 13 and June 11 respectively, following the talks in Istanbul on June 2.
Law enforcement investigations and institutions from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry will examine and identify the bodies in the near future, the coordination headquarters said. The bodies reportedly include military personnel.
The repatriation operation was coordinated by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War alongside the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ombudsman’s Office, the Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, and other government and defense bodies. The International Committee of the Red Cross also provided assistance during the process.
While the Istanbul talks failed to foster a ceasefire, both sides agreed to new POW exchanges. Ukraine has long pushed for an “all-for-all”prisoner exchange to bring home all Ukrainian captives, but Moscow has resisted such a comprehensive deal.
After the talks, Russia said it would transfer 6,000 bodies to Ukraine, including soldiers and officers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would need to check the bodies that Russia is willing to return, as only 15% of the 6,000 have been identified.
“We had instances when they returned bodies that later were identified as their own,” Zelensky said on June 2.
The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova