Russia says prisoner returns "crucial result" of Istanbul talks with Ukraine

Russian President’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov described the return of prisoners as a very important outcome of the negotiations with Ukraine.

“Two rounds have taken place, a significant amount of work has been done, and most importantly, there are very important humanitarian results from the agreements reached in Istanbul,” Caliber.Az quotes Peskov as saying, per Russian media.

He reminded that the Russian side handed over more than 2,000 bodies of the deceased to Kyiv, and in return received several dozen bodies of Russian servicemen.

To recall, on June 15, Ukraine received 1,200 bodies of its deceased citizens, marking the fourth stage of repatriation following an agreement reached during Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2.

Since June 11, Ukraine has received a total of 3,612 bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict, while Russia has received only 27 in return.

Forensic examinations and identifications will be conducted by Ukrainian authorities under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

This exchange is part of ongoing efforts to repatriate the war dead based on the Istanbul deal.

By Aghakazim Guliyev