Some 502 bodies of fallen Defenders have been returned to Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) has reported.

"According to the results of the repatriation activities, the bodies of 502 fallen Defenders have been returned to the territory controlled by the government of Ukraine. The returned fallen Defenders of Ukraine are: 397 from Donetsk direction; 24 from Luhansk direction; 64 from Zaporizhia direction; 17 dead Defenders were returned from morgues on the territory of the Russian Federation," the HQ said on the Telegram channel on Friday.

The fallen Defenders were returned as a result of the joint work of the staff of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Central Directorate of Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Joint Center of the Security Council of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, other structures of the Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine.

Gratitude for the assistance is also expressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as to the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which carries out the transportation of repatriated fallen Heroes to certain state specialized institutions, organizes the transfer of the dead to representatives of law enforcement agencies and forensic medical examination.

Together with expert institutions, the identities of the victims will be established as soon as possible.