Kyiv, Moscow to begin exchange of fallen soldiers next week, Ukrainian official says

An exchange of the bodies of fallen soldiers between Ukraine and Russia is scheduled to begin next week, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War Andriy Yusov has said.

"The timeline for the start of the repatriation process was actually agreed on Tuesday with authorised representatives of the aggressor state's Ministry of Defence, and the exchange is planned to begin next week," Yusov told Ukrainska Pravda, as reported by Caliber.Az.

He also commented on a video circulated by Russian propaganda channels, which claimed that Russia had already handed over the first batch of bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers. According to Yusov, the footage was not filmed at an exchange location.

"The video released by the enemy was recorded today on Russian territory, not at the exchange site or anywhere near it. It is clearly propaganda in nature and part of a broader disinformation campaign and psychological operation (PSYOP) by Russian intelligence services, aimed at discrediting Ukraine and putting pressure on the negotiating team as preparations for the future exchange and repatriation continue," Yusov explained.

Despite the provocations, Yusov confirmed that preparations for the exchange are moving forward. "Preparations for the exchange are ongoing despite such blatant provocations, and we expect results shortly," he said.

Notably, the exchange deals are part of earlier Istanbul agreements, with Russia prepared to return approximately 12,000 bodies of dead soldiers, including an exchange of 1,000 POWs each for each side.

By Khagan Isayev