Ukraine announced today that it has repatriated the bodies of more than 1,200 soldiers killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began over three years ago. The return of these fallen troops is part of a series of recent exchanges of prisoners of war and deceased combatants between the warring parties.
“As a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War stated in an announcement on June 11. The agency responsible for prisoner exchanges confirmed that the bodies were returned with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Further details about the exchange were not provided, but the agency noted that the identification process for the bodies is ongoing. This latest exchange is part of an agreement with Russia, under which prisoners of war have been transported by bus across both sides of the border.
Russia’s chief negotiator in peace talks held in Istanbul on June 2, where the exchange agreement was reached, stated on June 11 that Russia had received 27 bodies from Ukraine. The broader agreement aims to repatriate approximately 12,000 bodies of soldiers killed during the conflict. While the Istanbul talks facilitated prisoner exchanges, they yielded no progress towards ending the conflict itself.
Kyiv has expressed readiness to accept a United States proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow, however, has rejected this idea, stating that certain preconditions – deemed unacceptable by Ukraine – must be met beforehand. Earlier this week, both sides also exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25. Among those released were members of the navy, ground forces, territorial defense forces, air force, national guard, and other units.
