Russia and Ukraine are returning to the bodies of their soldiers. This is a serious snapshot of the battlefield losses

In a social media group dedicated to finding Russian soldiers missing in the operation, dozens of posts posted daily often contain names and images, as well as pleads from desperate mothers, wives and sisters looking for loved ones.

But on Wednesday, some panelists expressed their frustration and anger. Moscow announced that it had returned the bodies of more than 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers and in turn received the remains of 27 Russian soldiers.

“How do they attract warriors, we can't?” said a woman.

Another panelist said her husband is currently listed as missing, telling her in their last conversation that the fields were “covered with corpses and no one took them away.”

The third woman replied: “The officials only speak beautifully, but in fact it is the opposite.”

As a Limited transactions Russia and Ukraine arrived in Istanbul on June 2 and agreed to exchange prisoners of war, including severely injured and prisoners of war under the age of 25. They also agreed to repatriate up to 6,000 bodies, a grim snapshot of the scale of the battlefield losses that were rarely addressed on both sides.

Neither side commented on why the number of bodies repatriated on Wednesday was so shocking, with Moscow receiving only 27 bodies.

Repatriation of the remaining

As Russia appears to be planning to step up its summer offensive, groups are trying to estimate the number of soldiers Both sides were killed and wounded during the war for many years.

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) wrote in a report earlier this month that the number of Russian soldiers killed and injured was “extraordinary.”

It is estimated that Russia will suffer one million casualties this summer – including deaths and injuries – 250,000 soldiers were killed. Russian officials last talked about the country's The death occurred in September 2022, when they said less than 6,000 people were killed in the fight.

CSIS estimates Ukraine's death toll ranges from 60,000 to 100,000, with 300,000 soldiers injured.

In December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 43,000 people were killed. He revealed the information to correct U.S. President Donald Trump, who posted online that Ukraine “losts” hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Thousands of missing

Kiev said more than 70,000 Ukrainians have disappeared since 2022. Most come from the military, but that number also includes civilians.

Another 12,000 were removed from the list after being identified between the dead or being released during communication.

On Thursday, Ukraine's coordination headquarters for treating prisoners of war said it had received more than 100,000 requests from Russian citizens who were looking for relatives who were missing while serving in the army.

Thousands of bodies had been repatriated by both parties before Wednesday's exchange, and these arrangements were not usually announced publicly.

Russia accused Ukraine of trying to postpone its recent repatriation. On the weekend, state media showed it said a series of refrigerated trucks carrying Ukrainian bodies and were posted near the border with Ukraine, ready to hand over. In response, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of manipulating the facts and said the truck had not agreed to the exchange date at the time of arrival.

Prisoner communication

Russian officials said the group returned by the group included soldiers killed in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which Russia retreated after Russia's surprising Ukrainian offensive last summer.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with military members and veterans who remained to call on its special military operations in Russia as both sides released videos of newly released prisoners of war, calling on their families to say they have been released.

“Let's remember those who are now in combat contact,” Putin said.

In recent days, Russia has stepped up its attack on Ukrainian cities and launched Record the number of dronesalthough its troops continued to try to advance in the east and north.

The first representative of the Russian State Duma National Defense Commission said the military was trying to establish a 100-kilometer buffer zone in the Sumi area of ​​Ukraine.

More evacuations

According to an open source map created by the pro-Ukrainian group, Russia occupied more than 190 square kilometers of the Sumy region in less than a month.

In the southeastern Donetsk region, Russian troops are heading towards the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the US-based War Institute said.

Throughout the invasion, Russia has insisted on four Ukrainian regions that it will maintain control. Entering Dnipropetrovsk Oblast will mean that the country is trying to occupy a larger Ukrainian territory.

“One after another there are settlements and cities, and thousands of people have been destroyed,” said Pavlo Diachenko, communications director for the Donetsk Regional Police.

Diachenko is helping to evacuate more and more civilians who are bombing. He told CBC News that earlier this week he was assisting people to leave the city of Lehman, which has been fighting fiercely throughout the war.

In May 2022, the city was captured by Russian troops and then recaptured by Ukraine four months later.

The front line is only eight kilometers.

“The situation is very difficult and we are working to save as many civilians as possible,” Diachenko said.