The remains of six Greek soldiers killed during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus were met with a guard of honour at Elefsina Air Force base on Tuesday, July 22, as part of a solemn repatriation ceremony attended by National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias.
“Today Greece is fulfilling a historical duty and does what is self-evident. It pays due honour to the dead and justice to their families,” Dendias said, praising the decades-long effort to recover those missing in Cyprus.
Η Ελλάδα σήμερα εκπληρώνει το ιστορικό της χρέος. Επαναπατρίζει, μετά από δεκαετίες προσμονής, τα οστά έξι οπλιτών από την Ελλάδα που έπεσαν ηρωικά κατά την τουρκική εισβολή στην Κύπρο το 1974.
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) July 22, 2025
Επί πέντε δεκαετίες τώρα, η αναζήτηση και η ταυτοποίηση των αγνοουμένων στην Κύπρο… pic.twitter.com/DkDEDodJuU
The six soldiers, all reserve warrant officers, were identified as Themistoklis Eleftheropoulos, Stefanos Koutroulis, Lambros Nikitopoulos, Theodoros Xenos, Georgios Roussis, and Theodoros Charalambidis.
Their names will be inscribed at the National Defence Ministry’s Ark of National Remembrance.
Dendias said the state would continue searching “until every family receives the justice it is due.” The remains will be buried in their hometowns.
