Ukraine recovers bodies of over 500 fallen defenders
Photo: Ukraine has recovered the bodies of 503 fallen soldiers (Getty Images)
Ukraine has recovered the bodies of 503 fallen soldiers from its controlled territory. These were defenders who fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia directions, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Among the recovered defenders:
- 403 soldiers from the Donetsk direction,
- 12 from the Luhansk direction,
- 57 from the Zaporizhzhia direction.
Additionally, 31 dead Ukrainian soldiers were returned from morgues located in Russia.
The recovery of the fallen defenders was achieved through the joint efforts of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Human Rights Ombudsman, the Commissioner for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other agencies, with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The remains will be handed over to law enforcement and forensic medical examiner for identification purposes.
Prisoner exchanges
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine and Russia have conducted 58 large prisoner exchanges. According to the latest data, more than 3,500 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity.
The last prisoner exchange took place on the night of October 19. 95 Ukrainian soldiers returned home.
Earlier, Ukraine discussed an initiative to exchange “all for all.” However, Russia is blocking this idea.
