Ukraine has received 210 dead bodies of soldiers who had fought in Mariupol, mostly the Azovstal steelworks defenders, says the country’s Chief Intelligence Directorate.
“All the deceased have to return to the Ukraine-controlled territory and be seen to their final journey with honours,” says the agency, adding that it is working on retrieving all the bodies and rescuing all the prisoners from their captivity.
Russia is yet to make an official statement on the matter.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged dead bodies of their servicemen on 2 June for the first time since the war started; 160 bodies were offered for exchange by each side, Ukraine’s Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories reported on 4 May. The exchange took place in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. At least 52 of the retrieved bodies were those of the Azov Regiment fighters, says Anna Holovko, the regiment’s spokeswoman.