Reports from official government sources or major news outlets

Ukraine Returns 45 Russian Bodies, Receives 212 Fallen Defenders in '75 for 75' Exchange

May 31, 2024, 09:51 AM

Ukraine has returned the bodies of 45 Russian servicemen to Russia, as reported by RBC citing a lawmaker. Concurrently, Ukraine has received the bodies of 212 fallen defenders from Russia, which were retrieved from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kharkiv sectors, as well as from temporarily occupied territories. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that the bodies will be handed over to their families after identification. The exchange also included a '75 for 75' prisoners-of-war swap between the two countries, as cited by the Russian Defence Ministry. This marks the first exchange of imprisoned servicemen after months of stalled negotiations. The three past exchanges of fallen soldiers now stand at an overall 451 dead Ukrainians exchanged for 104 dead Russians.