Kyiv Says Bodies Of 501 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Fighting Russia Returned

Kyiv said Friday it had received the bodies of 501 servicemen killed fighting Russian forces, mainly in eastern Ukraine.

The exchange of prisoners and bodies of killed military personnel remains one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded in 2022.

“As a result of repatriation measures, 501 bodies of fallen Ukrainian defenders were returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement.

The announcement represents one of the largest repatriations of killed Ukrainian servicemen since the beginning of the war.

Most of the bodies were returned from the eastern Donetsk region, said the agency. Russian forces have been advancing steadily there since their capture of the industrial hub of Avdiivka in February.

Several state bodies had helped coordinate the return including the defence forces, the agency added, acknowledging the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“Representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic experts will identify the victims,” the coordination centre said in its statement.

“After identification, the bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for a proper burial.”