Russia Returns Over 1,200 Ukrainian Soldiers Bodies Amid Ongoing Tensions

Russia has repatriated the remains of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers who died in combat, as announced by officials from both nations on Wednesday. This arrangement was made during last week’s peace negotiations in Istanbul.

The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War verified the repatriation, and Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev confirmed it as well, following days filled with mutual accusations regarding delays in the transfer of the fallen soldiers.

On Saturday, Russia claimed that Ukraine did not appear for the handover and failed to finalize a date for the prisoner exchange. In response, Kyiv accused Moscow of engaging in «dishonest tactics» by not fulfilling the terms of their agreement.

According to the Ukrainian agency, the soldiers who were returned had died while fighting on the frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine, with some also having participated in operations in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces conducted a cross-border incursion last August.

Later on Wednesday, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky announced that Russia received the remains of 27 soldiers during the exchange. He also mentioned that both parties planned to conduct an exchange of severely injured soldiers the following day.

Previously, the Kremlin expressed its expectation that Ukraine would maintain its commitment to the June 2 Istanbul agreements, which involved a significant prisoner exchange and the return of 6,000 fallen soldiers from each side. However, the discussions did not lead to an agreement on a ceasefire.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have conducted intermittent exchanges of prisoners and deceased soldiers.

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had lost their lives since the war began. Meanwhile, Russia has not updated its official casualty figures since late 2022, though independent counts by Russian media have identified over 111,000 names of soldiers who have died.