Ukraine repatriates 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers from Russia
Editor's note: This item has been updated with additional information.
The bodies of 1,000 Ukrainians have been returned from Russia as part of repatriation efforts, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Aug. 19.
According to Russian authorities, the remains belong to Ukrainian servicemembers killed in action in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kursk regions.
Among them are five soldiers who died in Russian captivity. They had been listed as "seriously wounded and seriously ill" and were slated for exchange under the Istanbul agreements.
Ukrainian law enforcement and forensic experts will now carry out examinations to identify the bodies.
Russian state news agency TASS reported that Ukraine also returned the remains of 19 Russian servicemembers.
The announcement follows a broader June 2 deal struck in Istanbul, under which Russia and Ukraine agreed to repatriate around 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainians. That exchange concluded on June 16, with 6,057 bodies returned to Ukraine in several phases.
"Ukraine insists on the immediate release of all seriously ill and severely wounded prisoners and is fighting for the return of all Ukrainian citizens," the Coordination Headquarters said.
The development comes days after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 14 that 84 soldiers and civilians had been freed in a new prisoner swap with Russia.
Since March 2022, Ukraine has secured the release of over 5,000 people from Russian captivity, though Moscow continues to reject Kyiv's calls for an "all-for-all" exchange formula.
