Ukraine has received the remains of 1,000 people from Russia in the latest exchange between the two countries, Kyiv announced on Thursday, saying Moscow claimed the bodies belonged to Ukrainian soldiers killed during the ongoing war.
The handover was confirmed by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which said the repatriation formed part of continuing humanitarian efforts between the two sides despite the conflict.
“Today, repatriation measures took place, under which 1,000 bodies of the deceased, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian defenders, were returned to Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement posted on social media.
Russia also acknowledged the exchange. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Telegram that Moscow received the remains of 38 Russian soldiers as part of the same arrangement.
According to Medinsky, the transfer was carried out under agreements reached by Ukrainian and Russian delegations during talks held in Istanbul last year.
The exchange of prisoners of war and the return of fallen soldiers remain among the few areas of cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Tens of thousands of troops are believed to have been killed on both sides since the conflict began, although neither government regularly releases official casualty figures.
