254 bodies of deceased military personnel have been returned to Ukraine

In Ukraine, according to the results of repatriation efforts, 254 bodies of deceased military personnel have been returned, as reported by the Coordination Headquarters for handling prisoners of war on June 14th.

"Specifically, it was possible to repatriate the bodies of 221 defenders who fought in the Donetsk direction, 25 fallen soldiers from the Zaporizhzhia direction, four fallen defenders from the Luhansk direction, and four deceased soldiers whose bodies were transferred from morgues in the territory of the Russian Federation," the statement reads.

The Headquarters noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will transport the repatriated bodies and remains to designated state institutions, where representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic experts will identify the deceased. After identification, the bodies of the defenders will be handed over to their families for dignified burial.

At the beginning of March 2024, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that over 2,800 bodies and body fragments of military personnel had been successfully identified in Ukraine.

The exact number of bodies remaining unidentified is unknown. The Coordination Headquarters for handling prisoners of war regularly informs about the repatriation of Ukrainian military personnel's bodies. They are transported to state institutions for handover to representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic experts to establish the identities of the deceased.