Official announcements from Ukrainian and Russian government agencies or credible news outlets

Ukraine and Russia Exchange 590 Bodies in Largest Repatriation Since Invasion

Oct 18, 2024, 01:45 PM

Ukraine has received the bodies of 501 fallen soldiers from Russia as part of an exchange involving a total of 590 bodies between the two countries. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that the Ukrainian bodies include 382 from the Avdiivka direction, 56 from Bakhmut, 45 from Marinka, 6 from Vuhledar, 4 from the Zaporizhzhia direction, 7 from the Luhansk direction, and one body from a morgue in Russia. In return, Ukraine handed over 89 bodies of Russian soldiers. Russian State Duma deputy Shamsail Saraliev confirmed the exchange, which appears to be the largest repatriation of war dead since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The bodies will be sent to state institutions for identification before being returned to their families for burial.