Finalization of Repatriation Agreement: 1,245 Ukrainian Soldiers Bodies Returned from Russia

Ukraine announced on Monday that Russia has returned the remains of 1,245 Ukrainian soldiers, completing the final phase of an agreement made earlier this month aimed at the repatriation of over 6,000 fallen service members.

This arrangement, which also encompassed exchanges of prisoners, emerged as the sole tangible result from two rounds of peace discussions conducted in Istanbul.

“The repatriation aspect of the Istanbul agreements is now finished, with another 1,245 bodies returned to Ukraine,” stated Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov noted that Kyiv has received more than 6,000 remains in the past week.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported a slightly higher total of 1,248 for this final phase, asserting that it has “fulfilled the agreement.” They also indicated a willingness to transfer an additional 2,239 remains.

Moscow claimed that 51 Russian soldiers’ remains were received in this latest exchange, raising the number of bodies returned to 78.

Initially, Kyiv indicated that both parties had consented to a mutual exchange of 6,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers, while Moscow characterized the returns as a one-sided initiative.

Since Russia launched a large-scale invasion in February 2022, independent monitors and Western intelligence estimates suggest the death toll has reached tens of thousands for both sides. Neither country regularly publishes or verifies casualty figures independently.