Bodies of 220 defenders of Mariupol brought to Kyiv

Russian invaders have returned the bodies of 220 defenders of Mariupol to Ukraine as part of two swaps.

That's according to the Telegram channel Operational ZSU, which refers to a statement by Maksym Zhorin, ex-commander of the Azov Regiment and the head of the Central Staff of the National Corps, Ukrinform reports.

"I can confirm two exchanges - the bodies of 220 dead are already in Kyiv, about a third are Azov fighters, the identification process is underway. Not all details can be disclosed, but some information is already available, which I decided to share," Zhorin said.

He called on the media to spread objective and verified data, as this is a very sensitive topic.

The Associated Press earlier reported that on June 7, the Russian military handed over to Ukraine the first bodies of the fallen defenders of Mariupol.