Ukraine retrieves bodies of 58 fallen soldiers

The bodies of 58 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were returned to Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported on Feb. 16.

The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial. The bodies of around 2,000 soldiers have been repatriated to Ukraine in the last two years, according to the headquarters.

The joint efforts to repatriate the fallen soldiers was done in collaboration with Ukraine's Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Emergency Service, Armed Forces, and representatives of Ukraine's security and defense sectors.

The bodies of Ukrainian soldiers will be transported to specialized state institutions for forensic examination and identification. Afterward, they will be handed over to their relatives for a funeral.

The headquarters thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for their assistance.

In the previous transfer on Jan. 26, the headquarters reported that the bodies of 77 fallen Ukrainian soldiers had been returned for burial.

Ukraine has not disclosed how many soldiers were killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion. Former Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said in July last year that this information would remain secret until the end of martial law.

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The Kyiv IndependentIrynka Hromotska