On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Ukraine announced that it has brought home the bodies of 1,212 soldiers who died in the war with Russia. This was confirmed by the Ukrainian government body responsible for handling prisoner exchanges.
They shared the news on the Telegram messaging app, saying:
“As a result of our efforts, the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine.”
Photos from the scene showed members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) walking near several refrigerated trucks, where the bodies were kept. The location was not revealed for safety reasons.
The next step will be for forensic experts to examine the bodies and confirm their identities.
This repatriation was made possible after Ukraine and Russia agreed during recent talks to carry out a large-scale exchange of bodies.
