Today, August 19, the bodies of 1,000 fallen Ukrainian servicemen were returned to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Affairs.
According to the coordination headquarters, among those repatriated are five bodies of Ukrainian servicemen who died in captivity. They were listed as “severely wounded and seriously ill” prisoners for exchange under the agreements made 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 severely wounded prisoners and is working to return all Ukrainian citizens,” the Coordination Headquarters stated.
Among the returned soldiers are defenders from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kursk directions.
“In the near future, law enforcement investigators, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ expert institutions, will conduct all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies,” the headquarters added.
The repatriation effort involved staff from the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Affairs, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and others.
