Ukraine returns bodies of 140 fallen defenders

On April 26, as a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 140 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine, reported the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

According to the Coordination HQ, it was possible to return to Ukraine 112 bodies of defenders who fought on the Donetsk axis, 20 fallen soldiers from the Luhansk axis, five bodies of defenders from the Sumy axis, the bodies of two fallen soldiers from the Zaporizhzhia axis and one soldier from the Kherson axis.

Repatriated bodies and remains of soldiers will be transported to state institutions. Representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic medical experts will identify the victims. After identification, the bodies will be handed over to the families for burial, the Coordination Headquarters said.

On February 25, 2024, Zelenskyy for the first time announced Ukrainian military losses since Russia's full-scale invasion: 31,000. He did not report the number of wounded and missing Ukrainian soldiers.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that as of March 1, 2,800 bodies and fragments of Ukrainian soldiers have been identified, and the search for their relatives continues.

On April 12, the bodies of 99 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine.