Three months after the liberation of the village of Blahodatne in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian volunteers are collecting the remains of Russian soldiers that will eventually be exchanged for their own comrades, both living and deceased.
Grisly Remains: Ukraine Collects Russian Bodies Along 'The Road Of Death'
Ukrainian volunteers recover the body of a dead Russian soldier in the village of Blahodatne in southeastern Ukraine on September 8.
Three months after the battle to liberate the village, the area has been deemed safe enough for volunteers to start the gruesome task of recovering the bodies. The route in to the village was nicknamed the "road of death" due to the number of Russian soldiers killed.
Volodymyr, a 50-year-old marine (right), and a colleague carry the body of a dead Russian soldier near a burned-out truck. "We're going to search with our eyes. And using smell," he said.
To make sure the bodies are not booby-trapped by the withdrawing Russian forces, the soldiers frequently resort to probing the bodies with sticks.
"They left the wounded and dead on the way and escaped to Urozhayne. But they didn't stay in Urozhayne for long either. There was intense fighting for Urozhayne," Volodymyr said, referring to a nearby village that was later retaken.
A Ukrainian soldier is seen spreading out the national flag in the newly liberated village of Blahodatne in this file photo from June 17.
Russian forces were forced to quickly retreat from the village, leaving behind their comrades who were killed during the counteroffensive.
Another image from June 17 shows a Ukrainian soldier standing near the body of a Russian soldier.
Since the Kremlin began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have routinely exchanged prisoners of war and their deceased.
Volodomyr carefully checks the body of a dead Russian soldier on September 8 as his colleague looks on. "Their call-sign patch and any other identification we place on top of their bodies. It's easier to exchange an identified person for our soldiers," he said.
Vasiliy, a 53-year-old volunteer, and his colleague recover the body of Russian soldier. "We gather up their bodies. We arrange exchanges for our prisoners who are alive. And for the bodies of our boys," Vasiliy said. "You know, so that a mother can go and visit the cemetery."
The group of volunteers recovered nine bodies that will be sent for forensic examination before being exchanged for Ukrainian POWs and the deceased.