Russia and Ukraine repatriate remains of fallen soldiers (VIDEO)
Russia and Ukraine have conducted a repatriation of the bodies of fallen troops, continuing a string of roughly-monthly humanitarian actions launched last year.
In the latest round on Thursday, 1,000 sets of Ukrainian remains were handed over to Kiev, while Russia received 41 bodies, as witnessed by Ruptly video agency.
The previous such event, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, was reported in late February, while in early March Kiev and Moscow returned 300 POWs each.
The ratio of soldiers sent back for burial has remained mostly consistent over the months, suggesting a significant difference in attrition taken by the two sides of the Ukraine conflict. However, there is no strict correlation, considering that Russian forces have long been making territorial gains and consequently collect more bodies of Ukrainian troops killed in action.
Kiev relies on mandatory conscription to replenish its battlefield losses, enforced with harsh tactics increasingly rejected by the Ukrainian public. In recent months there was an uptick in serious injuries and even death reported during confrontations between draft officers and civilians. The manpower shortage is further exacerbated by mass desertion of conscripts.
