Ukraine says Russia returns 1,000 bodies in latest exchange

Kyiv says speech of bodies with Russia comes arsenic Ukraine claims advances successful the eastbound of the country.

Russia and Ukraine person exchanged the bodies of much than 1,000 soldiers who person fallen successful battle, Ukrainian authorities person said.

The immense bulk of the bodies were received by Ukraine from Russia, portion the bodies of 24 Russian soldiers were handed implicit by Ukraine.

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“Repatriation measures took spot today. 1,000 bodies, which according to the Russian broadside beryllium to Ukrainian servicemen, person been returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said connected Telegram connected Thursday.

Since the warfare betwixt Ukraine and Russia began successful February 2022, the repatriation of soldiers’ bodies and the speech of prisoners are immoderate of the lone areas of practice betwixt the 2 countries.

The speech of bodies was mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to Ukraine’s “I Want to Find” project.

Tens of thousands of soldiers person been killed connected some sides since Russia’s invasion. However, neither Kyiv oregon Moscow regularly publishes information connected their ain casualties.

Zelenskyy: Ukraine pushing backmost Russians

Separately connected Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian service has pushed backmost immoderate of the advances Russia made implicit the summertime successful eastbound Ukraine, calling the cognition an “important success” aft months of battlefield setbacks.

In a video address, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had retaken 160 quadrate kilometres (62 quadrate miles) adjacent the eastbound coal-mining municipality of Dobropillia, wherever Russian troops had breached Ukraine’s defences successful August.

He added that Ukrainian troops had “cleared” Russian forces from a further 170sq km (66sq miles), though the territory had not yet been formally reclaimed.

The president did not specify erstwhile the gains were made, but said Russia had “suffered thousands of losses”.

“Ukraine is rather rightly defending its positions, defending its land,” Zelenskyy said.

The Washington-based deliberation tank, The Institute for the Study of War, has estimated that Russia took 1,910sq km (737.5sq miles) of Ukrainian territory successful May, June, July and August – astatine a outgo of 130,000 casualties, averaging 68 casualties per quadrate kilometre.

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Thursday said that much than 700,000 Russian soldiers are warring connected the beforehand enactment successful Ukraine.