Russia returns 1,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported the return.

Russian authorities claimed the transferred bodies belonged to Ukrainian citizens, including soldiers.

Ukrainian agencies coordinated the operation, with the Coordination Headquarters working closely with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ombudspersons, the State Emergency Service, and other security and defense institutions.

Law enforcement agencies and forensic experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs will now conduct examinations to identify the bodies.

The Coordination Headquarters thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support, and acknowledged the military personnel who handled the transport and delivery of the bodies to designated institutions.

• Russia violates the proper temperature conditions for storing bodies and returns the remains of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in a mutilated, decomposed state, making identification difficult.