100 fallen soldiers repatriated to Ukraine

The bodies of 100 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine today. After identification they will be handed over to their relatives for burial, reported the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine ensure the transportation of repatriated bodies and remains to designated state institutions for handover to representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic medical experts to identify the victims," the Coordination Headquarters stated.

It was possible to return the fallen defenders thanks to cooperation with the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other representatives of the security and defense sector agencies. The Coordination Headquarters expressed special gratitude for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Today, the UN's independent international commission to investigate violations in Ukraine published a report describing cases of torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war in several places of deprivation of liberty in Russia.

On January 3, 2024, the 49th exchange of prisoners of war since the beginning of the full-scale war took place: 230 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were released. It was the largest exchange since August 2023.

At the time, Russia tried to misinform that allegedly not 230 prisoners returned to Ukraine, but 173, saying that for every commander from Azovstal released in the summer, 15 Russians had to be returned. Yet another Russian fake was refuted in Ukraine.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada, believes that, as of today, the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in the "all for all" format is impossible, because the aggressor state is not interested in this.