Russia returns 1,000 corpses in recent exchange, claims Ukraine, as advancements in the eastern region are alleged.
In a recent announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that the Ukrainian army has successfully pushed back some of the advances Russia made over the summer in eastern Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian troops had 'cleared' Russian forces from a further 170 square kilometres (62 square miles), though the territory had not yet been formally reclaimed. He also stated that Ukrainian forces had retaken 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) near the eastern coal-mining town of Dobropillia.
The war between Ukraine and Russia, which began in February 2022, has been a long and costly conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that more than 700,000 Russian soldiers are fighting on the front line in Ukraine. The exact number of soldiers killed on both sides since the war began is tens of thousands, but neither Kyiv nor Moscow regularly publishes data on their own casualties.
The Institute for the Study of War estimated an average of 68 casualties per square kilometre for Russia during the period mentioned. Another estimate by the same think tank suggested that the cost of these territorial gains for Russia was 130,000 casualties.
In an attempt to bring some closure to the families of the fallen soldiers, the exchange of bodies has become one of the only areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Russia since the war began. The exchange of bodies was facilitated by Ukraine's 'I Want to Find' project and mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
On Thursday, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced the repatriation of 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen. The bodies, according to the Russian side, were returned from Russia to Ukraine.
The Washington-based think tank, The Institute for the Study of War, estimated that Russia took 1,910 square kilometres (737.5 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in May, June, July, and August. Despite these losses, Zelenskyy emphasised that Russia had 'suffered thousands of losses'.
The war in Ukraine continues to be a complex and challenging situation, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The hope is that the exchange of bodies will bring some comfort to the families of the fallen soldiers and potentially pave the way for further cooperation between Ukraine and Russia.
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