Ukraine brings back 212 bodies of fallen soldiers
Ukraine brought back the bodies of 212 soldiers killed during Russia's full-scale invasion, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported on May 31.
The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial. Over 2,200 fallen soldiers have been repatriated to Ukraine in the last two years.
According to the headquarters, the bodies of the fallen soldiers were retrieved from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kharkiv sectors of the front line, as well as from the Russian-occupied territories.
Law enforcement agencies and forensic experts will identify the killed soldiers.
"After identification, the bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for a dignified burial," the Coordination Headquarters' statement read.
A retrieval of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers was conducted in collaboration with several government and military agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the Armed Forces.
In early March, Ukraine's chief ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that more than 2,800 bodies and remains of soldiers had been identified. The total number of unidentified bodies remains unknown.
In a previous transfer on April 26, the headquarters reported that the bodies of 140 fallen Ukrainian soldiers had been brought back home for burial.
Kyiv has only recently released information about the total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelensky in February saying the number was around 31,000.
"Each person is a very big loss for us. 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in this war," the president said, adding: "It is very painful for us."
