Russia commits to body exchange deal
(MENAFN) Russia has carried out a large-scale return of Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies, fulfilling commitments made during earlier negotiations in Istanbul, according to the country’s top envoy in the Ukraine conflict.
As reported by officials, Moscow repatriated the remains of 6,060 Ukrainian servicemen, while Kiev returned the bodies of just 78 Russian troops. This development was shared by Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s lead negotiator, through a Telegram post on Monday.
The agreement was reportedly reached during the latest bilateral discussions between Moscow and Kiev, which took place in Türkiye in June. During those meetings, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had indicated that Kiev intended to match Russia’s handover with a corresponding number of deceased Russian soldiers.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously mentioned in April that the country had lost up to 100,000 troops since the escalation began in 2022. Russian military assessments, however, place Ukraine’s total casualties significantly higher, claiming more than half occurred during 2024 alone.
The start of the exchange was briefly disrupted on June 7, when Ukraine allegedly declined the initial delivery of remains. Ukrainian representatives accused Russia of moving forward too quickly, though the process eventually resumed the next day and has continued throughout the week.
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