Russia has begun delaying repatriation of bodies of dead servicemen - Coordination Headquarters
As well as prisoner exchanges, Russia has begun delaying the return of the bodies of Ukraine's fallen defenders.
This was reported by the head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters, Bohdan Okhrimenko.
According to him, the Russians ignore all appeals to return the bodies of the dead servicemen to Ukraine. For example, representatives of the Russian Federation refused to reparation of the remains of the Oborontsy who died on 15 May 2024.
Also, the issue of transferring the bodies of prisoners of war, who, according to the Russian side, died in the Il-76 aircraft at the end of January 2024, remains open. In reality, the Russian side is once again manipulating the information," Bohdan Okhrimenko said.
According to him, the Russian side "cannot do without artificial obstacles and politicisation" even in humanitarian issues.
Okhrimenko reminded that the return of bodies of dead relatives is a mission that is inherent in most conflicts. The Coordination Headquarters continues to work on the return of the fallen Defenders.
We shall remind you that on 24 January this year, Russia cancelled the prisoner exchange using the downing of the IL-76 aircraft in Russia's Belgorod Region. The Russians said that the plane was allegedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners. The exchange did take place a week after the plane crash, but Russia did not return the people who were on the lists of the cancelled exchange.
This is not the only case when the Russian Federation cancelled the prisoner exchange. The Russian side ignored Ukraine's proposal to exchange prisoners of war on Oraza Bayram and Easter.