Ukraine Repatriates the Bodies of 254 Fallen Soldiers

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has announced that Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 254 soldiers who were killed in the war with Russia. According to the Geneva Conventions, fallen soldiers are entitled to a dignified burial during wartime, leading to the return of over 2,400 deceased soldiers to Ukraine over the past two years.

Of the recently repatriated bodies, 221 were retrieved from Donetsk Region, 25 from Zaporizhzhia Region, and four from Luhansk Region, with an additional four bodies brought back from morgues in Russia. Following identification, the bodies will be handed over to their respective families for burial arrangements.

The recovery effort was a collaborative endeavor involving various governmental and military agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the Armed Forces. This recent repatriation follows a previous transfer on May 31, during which the bodies of 212 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were returned for burial.

In late February, Kyiv disclosed the total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimating the figure to be approximately 31,000.