Bodies of 757 fallen defenders returned to Ukraine

Photo: Getty Image

Ukraine has returned the bodies of 757 fallen defenders as a result of joint repatriation efforts. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on 24 January.

Among the fallen heroes:

  • 451 defenders from the Donetsk sector;
  • 71 – from the Bakhmut direction;
  • 51 – from the Ugledar direction;
  • 13 – from the Luhansk sector;
  • 137 – from the Zaporizhzhia direction;
  • 34 bodies were from morgues in the Russian Federation.

The repatriation was made possible thanks to the work of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, the State Emergency Service and other government agencies. The International Committee of the Red Cross also joined the process.

Law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will identify the victims as soon as possible.

It is worth noting that Ukraine and Russia regularly exchange bodies of fallen soldiers. The last exchange took place on 20 December 2024, when 503 bodies of defenders were returned. In total, about 6,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been repatriated in two years of work.

These events are important not only for the relatives of the victims, but also to honour the memory of every hero who gave his life for Ukraine’s independence and freedom.