Ukraine receives 1,200 more bodies of deceased citizens following Istanbul agreement

Ukraine has recovered the bodies of 1,200 deceased citizens, including fallen defenders, through a large-scale repatriation process coordinated with Russia. The operation was carried out under agreements reached during negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month.

The update was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, per Caliber.Az.

“As a result of the repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,200 deceased persons have been returned to Ukraine,” the headquarters stated, noting that according to the Russian side, these bodies belong to Ukrainian nationals, including military personnel.

The repatriation effort was the result of coordinated work involving multiple Ukrainian institutions, including the Coordination Headquarters, the Joint Centre under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other entities within Ukraine’s Security and Defence Sector.

Following the return of the bodies, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, in cooperation with forensic experts and specialized institutions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will carry out examinations and identification procedures.

The Coordination Headquarters also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance, and offered special thanks to Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel who managed the transport of the repatriated remains to designated state institutions. These servicemembers also oversaw the handover of the bodies to law enforcement representatives and forensic medical experts from the Ministry of Health.

This latest repatriation comes in the context of broader agreements reached during the second round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. During those talks, both sides agreed to exchange all seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war, as well as all detained individuals aged between 18 and 25.

The parties also agreed to repatriate approximately 6,000 bodies of deceased soldiers. Importantly, the prisoner exchange will not be conducted on a numerical parity basis but rather under the principle of “all for all.”

The first phase of this renewed exchange began on June 9, when a group of released Ukrainian soldiers under the age of 25 returned home. For security reasons, Ukrainian authorities have not disclosed the number of individuals freed.

On June 10, the second stage of the exchange was carried out, involving Ukrainian defenders who had been seriously wounded and were suffering from significant health conditions. These individuals were released from Russian captivity and have since returned to Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova