Ukraine receives bodies of 1,000 fallen defenders
Photo: The bodies of 1,000 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine (t.me/Koord_shtab)
On August 19, Ukraine received the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian military personnel who died defending the country, according to the Telegram channel of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
According to the headquarters, the repatriated include five servicemen who died in captivity. They were listed as "severely wounded and seriously ill" prisoners eligible for exchange under the agreements reached in Istanbul during the second round of negotiations.
"The Russian side continues to delay and fails to fulfill its obligations. Ukraine insists on the immediate release of all seriously ill and severely wounded prisoners and is fighting for the return of all Ukrainian citizens," the Coordination Headquarters stated.
Among the returned, "on the shield" are defenders from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kursk directions.
"In the coming days, law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct all necessary examinations and carry out the identification of the repatriated bodies," the headquarters added.
The repatriation efforts involved personnel from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Missing Persons in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and others.
What preceded
In recent months, several repatriations of the bodies of fallen Ukrainian defenders have taken place. In particular, on June 13, Ukraine received the bodies of another 1,200 fallen servicemen. The body exchanges carried out in the summer were conducted in accordance with the agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2.
According to the SBU, in June the repatriation was carried out for the first time using specialized Ukrzaliznytsia railcars. This allowed the bodies of fallen Ukrainian defenders to be delivered more quickly to facilities in different regions, where further identification and other necessary procedures will take place.
