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Russia Sends Back Dismembered Ukrainian Remains Mixed With Its Own Soldiers’ Bodies
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russia continues to return the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in severely mutilated condition, and during recent repatriation efforts, the remains of Russian troops were also included among those handed over to Ukraine.
The announcement was made by Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko on Telegram on June 16.
Following each repatriation, Ukrainian experts conduct a thorough and complex process, including autopsies, investigative examinations, DNA testing, and verification of personal identifiers. Klymenko noted that Russia deliberately complicates these procedures.
“The bodies are often returned in an extremely disfigured state. Body parts arrive in separate bags, and in some cases, the remains of one individual are delivered in different stages of the repatriation,” he stated.
The minister also reported that, during the latest repatriation, Russian military bodies were mixed in with those of Ukrainian servicemen.
“During the latest repatriations, we were also handed the bodies of Russian soldiers — mixed in with the bodies of Ukrainians. This may have been done deliberately by the Russian side to inflate the number of transferred remains and overburden our forensic experts, while also applying cynical informational pressure. Or it may simply reflect their habitual disregard for their own people. In any case, we will identify these bodies as well,” he wrote.
He added that Ukrainian experts are working under extreme conditions. While efforts are underway to accelerate the identification process, each large-scale repatriation makes the task more difficult.
“We understand the pain and the waiting endured by families. We are doing everything possible to accelerate the identification process. However, with each large-scale repatriation, this task becomes more difficult — and perhaps that is exactly Russia’s intention,” Klymenko concluded.
Earlier, Ukraine received the remains of 1,245 more individuals, identified by the Russian Federation as Ukrainian citizens, including servicemembers.
This marks the completion of the repatriation process carried out under the Istanbul agreements, bringing the total number of bodies returned to Ukraine to 6,057.
