The Ukrainian authorities announced on Friday that Russia had handed over the bodies of 502 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war between the two countries, while Kyiv had handed over the bodies of 48 Russian soldiers. 

According to the source, the 397 bodies came from the Donetsk region, the epicenter of fighting and an area where Russian forces are making progress against the Ukrainian army, which lacks weapons and men.

Specifically, the coordinating body reports that out of 502 Ukrainian soldiers, 397 were killed in the Donetsk region, 24 in the Lugansk region, 64 in Zaporizhia, and 17 more bodies were delivered from morgues on Russian territory.

This is the second such repatriation this month, after Kyiv had recovered the bodies of 563 soldiers on November 8 while handing over the bodies of 37 Russian soldiers.

The bodies will be identified as soon as possible, the coordinating body said.

Russian authorities have not officially announced anything about the exchange. 

However, the Russian website Medusa citing the Z-channel “Voeni Obozrevatel” mentions that Russia handed over the bodies of 48 Russian soldiers. Military correspondent Alexander Koch claims that the bodies of 52 Russian soldiers have been returned to Russia.

With information from: AMNA, AFP

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