Conflict & Security
Ukraine says Russia returned 501 bodies
Ukraine has received 501 bodies from Russia that are believed to be those of fallen soldiers, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
Kyiv's prisoners of war centre said 501 bodies of deceased people had been returned to Ukraine through repatriation efforts. It said the Russian side had said the bodies may belong to Ukrainian servicemen.
The Ukrainian body said the Red Cross helped facilitate the exchange. It said investigators and forensic experts will now identify the repatriated remains.
Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev told the RBC news outlet that Russia received the bodies of 31 soldiers.
Since Russia's 2022 invasion, exchanges of prisoners and the remains of fallen fighters have been one of the few areas of contact between Moscow and Kyiv.
Uncertainty notes
The identities of the 501 bodies returned to Ukraine have not yet been confirmed.
The Ukrainian side described the bodies as believed to be fallen soldiers, and said Russia reported they may belong to Ukrainian servicemen.
Source
AFP news report published on .