Russia returns 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies in latest exchange

A new exchange of fallen soldiers has taken place between Russia and Ukraine, according to Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Writing on his Telegram channel, Medinsky stated that Russia had handed over the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian servicemen to Kyiv, while receiving the remains of 19 Russian soldiers in return, Caliber.Az reports.

“In continuation of the Istanbul agreements, we transferred another 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine today. We received 19 bodies of our fallen fighters. May they rest in peace on their native soil,” he wrote.

Negotiators in Istanbul on June 2 reached a landmark humanitarian agreement: each side would repatriate 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers. Russia committed to daily transfers and began with phased deliveries—1,212 bodies arrived on June 11, followed by successive batches of 1,200 on June 13–15.

By mid-June, over 6,060 Ukrainian bodies had been returned, with Russia acknowledging receipt of around 78 of its soldiers’ remains.

Ukraine has emphasised that all transfers follow forensic and law-enforcement protocols, with coordination among the armed forces, SBU, Interior Ministry, and the Red Cross . Meanwhile, Russia reiterated its readiness to continue daily exchanges of both POWs and bodies under the Istanbul framework.

By Aghakazim Guliyev