Ukraine retrieves bodies of 140 fallen soldiers

Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 140 soldiers who died fighting against Russia, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported on April 26.

In a post on Telegram, the headquarters said 112 had fought in the Donetsk direction, 20 in the Luhansk direction, five in the Sumy direction, two in the Zaporizhia direction, and one in the Kherson direction.

"After identification, the bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for a dignified burial," it added.

The effort to retrieve the fallen defenders was conducted in collaboration with several government and military agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the Armed Forces.

The headquarters also thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for their assistance.

The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial.

In a previous transfer on March 29, the headquarters reported that the bodies of 121 fallen Ukrainian soldiers had been returned for burial.

Kyiv has only recently released information about the total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelensky in February saying the number was around 31,000.

"Each person is a very big loss for us. 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in this war," the president said, adding: "It is very painful for us."