Ukrainian authorities received the bodies of 140 soldiers killed defending eastern and southern regions from Russian attacks. The soldiers died fighting in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Five additional bodies originated from the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.

While Russia currently holds no territory in Sumy, there were reports of Ukrainian volunteers making advances into Russia from this region in early March.

The recovered bodies will undergo identification before being returned to grieving families. The Coordination Headquarters expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for facilitating this exchange.

This sombre development comes as the war in Ukraine enters its third year. Despite ongoing hostilities, both sides have maintained channels for exchanging the remains of fallen soldiers, a humanitarian gesture amidst the conflict. The number of Russian soldiers returned in this exchange remains unreported.