Internal Affairs Ministry tells how many bodies of russian military personnel were transferred to Ukraine

Since the beginning of 2025, investigators of the National Police of Ukraine, together with experts, have discovered 20 facts of the transfer of russian military personnel during the repatriation procedure.

The Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko has stated this at a briefing, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko noted that the enemy is deliberately complicating identification, creating chaos by mixing the bodies of russian military personnel with the bodies of Ukrainians. The russian side does not officially recognize this fact, as it has not yet provided expert explanations. However, Ukrainian investigators have already collected evidence confirming that the bodies belong to the military personnel of the russian army.

Klymenko presented material evidence found during the examination of the bodies. Among them are personal badges, chevrons, documents, elements of military uniform and footwear characteristic of the Armed Forces of the russian federation. The First Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine - Head of the Main Investigation Department Maksym Tsutskiridze emphasized that these materials were discovered during forensic medical examinations and investigative actions.

"The occupiers transfer the bodies during the repatriation procedure in a mutilated and putrid state, which complicates their examination and DNA examination, however, during this year 87% of the bodies have been identified and returned to their families for burial," Tsutskiridze added.

Klymenko emphasized that such a practice may be part of information manipulation or an attempt to mask the real losses of the russian army.

"We will publish evidence that during repatriations Russia transfers the bodies of its military to Ukraine so that Russians can see not only the attitude of the Russian Federation towards its soldiers, but also possibly recognize their loved ones by the tattoos, documents or other personal belongings," Klymenko said.

The Minister of Internal Affairs also noted that specialists from scientific and forensic research centers are working tirelessly to identify as many repatriated bodies as possible and as quickly as possible. Several examinations are being conducted on some body fragments to obtain a DNA profile. It will take more than a year to process all the bodies (remains) that were transferred during the last repatriations to Ukraine.

Bodies (remains) that do not have a DNA match will be stored in health care facilities. According to Klymenko, Ukraine, unlike the enemy, acts exclusively within the framework of humanitarian law, adhering to international agreements on the return of the bodies of the dead. However, the facts of returning its killed people to Ukraine and not recognizing this once again demonstrate cynicism and contempt for its own citizens.

Also, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, together with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), are ready to conduct DNA sampling of relatives of russian military personnel abroad.

This initiative is designed to speed up the process of identifying the bodies of russian military personnel who were transferred by russia to Ukraine during the repatriation procedure.

Klymenko noted that until the identity of the repatriated person is finally established, the body will not be returned to the russian federation. So far, three cases have been identified when it was possible to identify the bodies of russian military personnel who were transferred back to the russian federation.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Klymenko provided evidence that the russian federation is transferring the bodies of russian military personnel together with the bodies of Ukrainians.