As a result of repatriation activities, the bodies of 1212 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine, reported the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Among them are those who died in the Kursk region, as well as in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. It is noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross provided assistance.
“Investigators of law enforcement agencies, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will establish the identities of the deceased as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Russian military demanded that Ukraine take the first batch of bodies over the weekend, June 7–8, claiming that Kyiv allegedly refuses to accept the fallen soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian coordination headquarters called these statements inconsistent with reality and previous agreements. “Instead of consistently following the agreed algorithm, the Russian side resorted to unilateral actions that were not coordinated within the framework of the joint process,” the agency reported, noting that instead of constructive dialogue, Ukraine is once again faced “with manipulations and attempts to use sensitive humanitarian topics for informational purposes.”
The exchange of bodies of the deceased, as well as the exchange of prisoners of war (up to 25 years old, wounded and seriously wounded), was agreed upon by Russia and Ukraine during the second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul on June 2.
On June 9, the exchange of prisoners began, and on June 10, the second stage took place, during which seriously wounded and sick prisoners of war returned. The number of returned military personnel was not disclosed by the parties.