Russia, Ukraine agree to swap bodies of fallen soldiers

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a forthcoming exchange of the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict, sources familiar with the matter told Russian media on January 29.

The agreement was reportedly reached during talks held in Abu Dhabi, although the two sides have not disclosed details such as the number of bodies to be returned or the location of the exchange.

Both Russia and Ukraine have so far refrained from commenting publicly on the arrangement.

The most recent previous exchange of bodies between Russia and Ukraine took place on October 19, 2025.

Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky stated that Russia handed over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian servicemen and received 26 Russian soldiers from Kyiv.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed they had received 1,003 bodies and said investigators would carry out examinations to identify the deceased.

The Ukrainian prisoner-of-war coordination centre shared images on Telegram showing trucks and personnel in protective gear handling the bodies in white sacks.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, both sides have conducted regular exchanges of the dead, though overall casualty figures remain largely undisclosed.

By Aghakazim Guliyev