Ukraine and Russia have completed an exchange of dead bodies - the final stage of a deal to bring home fallen soldiers. Kyiv said Moscow handed over 1,245 bodies on Monday, bringing the total to 6,057 in the past few days. It said it was now verifying whether all the bodies were indeed of Ukrainian soldiers. Russia put 6,060 the overall number of bodies transferred to Ukraine. It also said 78 bodies of Russian soldiers had been repatriated. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russia of "deliberately complicating" the identification process. "Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The latest exchange took place at an undisclosed location on Monday. The bodies in white bags were brought in refrigerator lorries. Red Cross members monitored the process. In a statement, Ukraine's government agency co-ordinating the repatriation said that "another 1,245 bodies were returned to Ukraine". It said the identification process and "all the necessary examinations" would be carried out by Ukrainian law enforcement experts. Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement that 1,248 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers had been handed over to Kyiv. That figure was questioned by Klymenko, who said that Ukraine had "received bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians" during the earlier exchanges. In its statement, the Russian defence ministry also said it had received the bodies of 51 killed Russian soldiers on Monday, taking the total to 78. The ministry added it was ready to hand over another 2,239 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. The overall disparity between the two sides may be due to the fact that, of late, Russia has been making territorial gains, so would have been able to recover many of its own soldiers killed in fighting. Trust between the two sides is extremely low, even when it comes to the dead. The Red Cross declined to say how many bodies had been handed over by each side. "It's been up to them really to figure out the details, to discuss directly and determine where this takes place, when, and which human remains to be part of that process," ICRC spokesman Patrick Griffiths told the BBC.
Russia and Ukraine fulfil deal to repatriate dead soldiers
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"Ukraine and Russia Complete Exchange of Deceased Soldiers Amid Ongoing Conflict"
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TruthLens AI Summary
Ukraine and Russia have successfully completed a significant exchange of deceased soldiers, marking the conclusion of a deal aimed at repatriating fallen troops. On Monday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had returned 1,245 bodies, bringing the total number of bodies repatriated to 6,057 over the past several days. However, the accuracy of these figures is under scrutiny, as Russia claims to have transferred 6,060 bodies in total, while also indicating that it received 78 bodies of its own soldiers during the exchange. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko raised concerns about the condition of the bodies, alleging that the identification process was intentionally complicated by Russia, as many bodies returned were severely mutilated and mixed together inappropriately. This has raised doubts about the reliability of the repatriation and identification process, which is expected to be carried out by Ukrainian law enforcement experts.
The exchange, which took place at an undisclosed location and was monitored by members of the Red Cross, highlights the ongoing distrust between the two nations, particularly regarding the dead. The Russian defense ministry reported that it had received the remains of 51 Russian soldiers on the same day, bringing its total to 78. The stark differences in the reported numbers of bodies exchanged may be reflective of the shifting dynamics on the battlefield, where Russia has recently made territorial gains. As both sides continue to grapple with the aftermath of the conflict that escalated in February 2022, the repatriation deal serves as a somber reminder of the human cost of war. The International Committee of the Red Cross has refrained from confirming the exact number of bodies exchanged, emphasizing that it is primarily up to the involved parties to manage the details of such sensitive operations.
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