Bodies of 502 fallen defenders repatriated to Ukraine

The bodies of 502 fallen Ukrainian defenders have been returned to Ukraine.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

Of the fallen, 397 were recovered from the Donetsk sector, 24 from the Luhansk sector, and 64 from the Zaporizhzhia sector. Additionally, 17 bodies were repatriated from Russian morgues.

The Coordination Headquarters said the repatriation was the result of collaborative efforts involving multiple agencies, including the Central Directorate for Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Joint Center of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

Special thanks were extended to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its critical assistance.

The Coordination Headquarters also expressed deep gratitude to the Ukrainian military personnel responsible for transporting the fallen heroes to designated state institutions. These personnel facilitate the transfer of the bodies to law enforcement agencies and forensic medical experts for identification.

Expert institutions will expedite the identification process to ensure that the fallen defenders are quickly and properly honored.

On November 8, Ukraine repatriated the bodies of 563 fallen defenders as part of ongoing efforts to bring home those who gave their lives in defense of the nation.