The scale of the exchange
On October 22, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Ukraine repatriated 252 bodies which Russia claims belonged to Ukrainian service members. This current repatriation follows an August 13 operation where Ukraine brought home the bodies of 261 deceased individuals that Russia said could belong to Ukrainian service members. I see these humanitarian operations as a rare area of cooperation. The return of fallen Ukrainians accelerated when peace talks resumed in early 2025, but those talks eventually stopped. While Ukraine regularly reports the number of repatriated bodies it receives from Russia, the government does not publish data on the remains of Russian soldiers returned to Moscow. I find the lack of information regarding Russian remains to be an unhelpful and grim detail.
| Operation Date | Number of Bodies | Reported Status |
|---|---|---|
| August 13 | 261 | Could be Ukrainian |
| October 22 | 252 | Claims to be Ukrainian |
Identification and logistics
Ukrainian investigators and forensic experts will conduct examinations and identification procedures to determine the identities of the 252 repatriated people once they arrive at state institutions. Kyiv thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for facilitating the repatriation and expressed gratitude to Armed Forces personnel involved in transporting the remains to state institutions. These personnel also coordinated the transfer of the remains to law enforcement authorities and forensic experts. Ukrainian officials previously claimed that Russia’s return of its own soldiers to Kyiv might reflect a "negligent attitude toward their own people" or serve as a way to avoid making compensation payments to the families of the deceased. I find the suggestion that Russia might return its own dead to avoid paying compensation to families a cold calculation. This transfer follows a period when the return of fallen Ukrainians accelerated due to peace talks in early 2025, though those talks later stopped. I find the lack of transparency regarding Russian remains particularly frustrating. The repatriation of deceased individuals remains a difficult and heavy task for the staff involved.
