The bodies of 261 fallen, said by the Russian side to be Ukrainian servicemembers, have been returned to Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
"As a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 261 fallen, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian servicemembers, have been returned to Ukraine. Law enforcement investigators, together with representatives of expert institutions, will carry out all necessary measures to identify the repatriated dead," the Coordination Headquarters said on Telegram on Thursday.
The repatriation was carried out as a result of joint work by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, and other Security and Defense Sector agencies, according to the statement.
"We express our sincere gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance and support in carrying out the repatriation measures. Special thanks to the personnel of the Joint Center for Support of Central Military Medical Directorate Measures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which transports the repatriated dead to specialized state institutions, arranges the transfer of the bodies of the fallen to law enforcement and forensic medical examination authorities under the Health Ministry, and to representatives of the Armed Forces’ civil-military cooperation structures, who provide overall coordination," the statement said.
