Russia and Ukraine Facilitate Body Exchange of Over 1,000 Fallen Soldiers

Russia and Ukraine have conducted an exchange of 1,029 soldiers who lost their lives in battle, as stated by Kremlin adviser and chief peace negotiator Vladimir Medinsky on Friday.

According to Medinsky, Russia returned the remains of 1,003 Ukrainian soldiers and received the bodies of 26 Russian servicemen as part of an agreement established during peace negotiations in Istanbul in June.

He posted two images on his Telegram channel showing individuals in white protective suits surrounding refrigerated vehicles.

The Ukrainian office responsible for prisoner of war matters confirmed the receipt of 1,003 bodies and noted that law enforcement officials would conduct examinations and identifications.

Additionally, the Ukrainian office reported that the Red Cross participated in the repatriation process.

As of November, Ukraine had received a minimum of 15,000 repatriated bodies from Russia since the onset of the full-scale invasion, based on publicly accessible data.

The repatriation of deceased soldiers and the exchange of prisoners of war represent some of the rare instances of collaboration between the two nations since Russia commenced its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

During the Istanbul talks, Moscow and Kyiv had reached a preliminary agreement to exchange 6,000 bodies each and discussed a significant prisoner swap, although they did not succeed in establishing a ceasefire.