Kiev, 8 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine has received the bodies of 563 soldiers from Russia, authorities announced in Kiev on Friday.

They included over 400 soldiers who fell in the Donetsk region, including in the Bakhmut section of the front line.

The remains of more than 150 others were handed over from morgues in Russia. It was not disclosed where these soldiers were killed.

Local media reported that Russia received the remains of 37 soldiers in return.

According to official figures, more than 2,100 bodies have been returned to Ukraine this year alone. The exchange of fallen or captured soldiers is one of the last remaining humanitarian contacts between the warring countries.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion for almost 1,000 days. According to Ukrainian military observers, the Russian army has conquered an area of about 2,200 square kilometres since the beginning of the year.

Russia controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's national territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.

Photo: MIA archive