On July 17, as a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,000 victims were returned to Ukraine from the Russian Federation. According to the statements of the Russian side, we are talking about citizens of Ukraine, in particular military personnel. About this reported Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
“It was possible to return the bodies as a result of the joint work of the staff of 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 of Ukraine, the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Missing Persons in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, other structures of the Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine,” – says the message.
Law enforcement agencies, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct all the necessary examinations and carry out the procedure for identifying the bodies.
The coordination headquarters expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for assistance in the process, as well as to the military personnel who ensure the transportation and transfer of bodies to the relevant state institutions.
We will remind you that the first round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on May 16, 2025, the second – on June 2. The only result of the negotiations was an agreement to exchange the bodies of dead servicemen and prisoners. It was not possible to reach an agreement on a ceasefire.
During the exchange on June 16, Russia handed over 1,245 bodies of the dead to Ukraine. On the same day, it became known that along with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian Federation also handed over the bodies of its own servicemen.
On June 18, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, confirmed that, in general, Ukraine received more than 6,000 bodies, including the remains of Russian soldiers. Identification of bodies returned as part of repatriation procedures can take up to 14 months. After the completion of this process, Ukraine will hand over the bodies of the fallen Russian soldiers to their side for further burial.
