“Ukraine has received the bodies of 64 heroic defenders of Azovstal to bury them with dignity,” said the Ministry of Reintegration, which is responsible for the Russian-occupied territories.
The Kyiv announced tonight that it had received the bodies of 64 soldiers who had lost their lives defending the Azovstal steel plant, the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, as part of an exchange with Russia.
It was not immediately clear how many dead Russian soldiers had returned to Moscow.
“Ukraine has received the bodies of 64 heroic defenders of Azovstal to bury them with dignity,” said the Ministry of Reintegration, which is responsible for the Russian-occupied territories.
The last Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol, who were trapped in the vast Azovstal steel plant, surrendered to Russian forces between May 16-20, after three months of fierce fighting.
The ministry said the exchange took place in the Zaporizhia region, without specifying when exactly. Two other such exchanges took place earlier this month, during which Ukraine received the bodies of 210 soldiers. According to the announcement, the exchange process is carried out in accordance with the rules of the Geneva Convention relating to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
