Russia proceeded to hand over 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during battles, as announced by the Ukrainian service for prisoners of war.
The exchanges of remains and prisoners of war constitute the only outcome of negotiations between the two sides, three and a half years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. “The repatriation operations took place today Thursday (23/10)” and concerned “1,000 bodies,” the service reported on Telegram, expressing gratitude for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The identification of the dead will be carried out by forensic doctors and investigators under the supervision of Ukrainian justice.
In mid-September, Ukraine had announced that it recovered 1,000 bodies, as it did in July and August, an indication of the intensification of battles around the front line in the eastern part of the country.
Ukraine war: 46,000 soldiers lost according to Zelensky
Meanwhile, in early October, Moscow and Kyiv had exchanged 185 prisoners of war from each camp. Last February, President Volodymyr Zelensky told an American network that his country had suffered the loss of more than 46,000 soldiers, while “tens of thousands” of others were considered missing or held captive by the enemy.
According to reports, more than 135,000 Russian soldiers have been recorded as killed within three and a half years, with estimates that the actual number is likely higher.
