The bodies of 563 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine through repatriation efforts as of Friday, Nov. 8, the press service of Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) reported.
According to the report, the remains include 320 defenders who died in the Donetsk sector and 89 in the Bakhmut sector, with 154 bodies retrieved from morgues in Russia.
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This return was accomplished through the coordinated efforts of Ukraine’s POW Coordination Headquarters, the SBU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Armed Forces (AFU), the State Emergency Service, and other defense agencies.
The AFU is transferring the repatriated bodies to designated state facilities, where law enforcement and forensic experts will conduct identification processes.
Earlier, on Oct. 18, Ukraine repatriated the remains of 501 fallen defenders.
Moreover, on the same day, Ukraine carried out its 58th prisoner exchange with Russia, resulting in the return of 95 Ukrainian servicemen.
This exchange was notable because it included Ukrainians who had been convicted by Russian courts: 28 soldiers with long-term sentences and 20 who were sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Ukraine’s POW Coordination Headquarters.
On Ukraine’s 33rd Independence Day, 115 Ukrainian soldiers were returned home from Russian captivity. This marked the first exchange since the AFU launched an offensive in the Kursk region, one of Russia’s worst defeats in the war, resulting in the capture of hundreds of Russian soldiers.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December, 21, 2024
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