Ukraine has returned the bodies of 140 fallen defenders, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
In particular, 112 bodies of defenders who fought in the Donetsk sector, 20 fallen soldiers in the Luhansk sector, 5 bodies of defenders from the Sumy sector, 2 fallen soldiers from the Zaporizhzhya sector and one from the Kherson sector were repatriated.
The fallen were returned thanks to the cooperation of the Coordination HQ for the POWs with the Joint Centre of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Central Military Command), the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other representatives of the security and defence sector of Ukraine.
The Joint Coordination Centre expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine will transport the repatriated bodies and remains to designated state institutions. Representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic experts will identify the victims.
After identification, the bodies will be handed over to the families for a decent burial.