Bodies of 1000 dead returned to Ukraine, including those who died in Russian captivity

On Tuesday, August 19, the bodies of 1000 dead were returned to Ukraine as a result of repatriation activities. This was reported to by Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

As part of previous agreements, 1000 bodies, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine.

The Coordination Center added that among the repatriated bodies are five bodies of Ukrainian defenders who died in captivity. They were on the lists of "seriously wounded and seriously ill" prisoners for exchange under the agreements 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 seriously wounded prisoners and is fighting for the return of all Ukrainian citizens," the statement reads.

Among the returnees, there are also defenders from Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kursk areas.

In the near future, law enforcement investigators, together with the expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will carry out all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies.

• As part of the Istanbul Agreements, Russia returned over 6,000 bodies to Ukraine.
• It was believed that all of them belonged to Ukrainian servicemen, but on June 16, Klymenko reported, that the aggressor country was handing over dead Russians along with the bodies of Ukrainians.
• On June 18, Klymenko said that it would take, at least, 13-14 months to identify the bodies that Russia handed over mixed with the remains of the occupiers.