Ukraine brings home bodies of 82 fallen soldiers for burial in swap with Russia

The bodies of 82 Ukrainian soldiers were returned home on Friday, April 14.

Rubryka reports, referring to the press service of the Ministry of Reintegration.

"We managed to bring home the bodies of 82 dead Ukrainian servicemen. The transfer of bodies from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine took place with the assistance of the Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons under the Ministry of Reintegration in cooperation with law enforcement agencies," the agency said.

The Ministry of Reintegration emphasized that the transfer of bodies is carried out per the norms of the Geneva Convention.

The department also stressed that the hotline of the Commissioner for Missing Persons is working at 0 800 339 247. Relatives and friends can also report missing persons to the Commissioner by phone: (099) 792-01-26. On weekends, you can send messages via Viber and Telegram to the number: (095) 896-04-21.

As of December 2022, 3,400 Ukrainian service members are currently in Russian captivity, according to Aliona Verbytska, the presidential commissioner for the rights of defenders of Ukraine.

Since then, no official information has been released. As for now, the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoW) may amount to 10,000, Natalia Yepifanova, the head of NGO "Voiatskyi Vyzvil," the public organization advocating for the release of PoW.