Ukraine receives 1,000 bodies of servicemen from Russia

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukraine has received the bodies of 1,000 of its servicemen from Russia as part of a repatriation operation coordinated between several Ukrainian agencies, officials said Thursday.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said investigators from law enforcement and expert institutions of the Interior Ministry will conduct examinations and identification procedures for the repatriated bodies.

The repatriation was made possible through the joint efforts of the headquarters staff, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other security and defense institutions.

The Coordination Headquarters expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance and extended “special thanks” to the military medical service for organizing transportation and transferring the remains to forensic and investigative authorities.