Russia has handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of war dead – news agencies

Employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross unload what are reported to be the bodies of Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel, returned by Russia on June 15, 2025. (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/AFP)
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  • Russia says it has so far handed Ukraine the bodies of nearly 5,000 Ukrainian service personnel
  • Ukraine and Russia have conducted three exchanges of POWs so far, but have not disclosed exact numbers

MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, Russian state news agencies reported on Sunday, saying Moscow had not received a single Russian corpse in return.

Russian state news agencies TASS and RIA both reported the handover, citing an unnamed source.

It is the fourth in a series of handovers of soldiers’ remains to take place in the past week, in accordance with an agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine at talks in Istanbul earlier this month.

Kyiv and Moscow agreed to each hand over as many as 6,000 bodies and to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25.

Russia says it has so far handed Ukraine the bodies of nearly 5,000 Ukrainian service personnel, but has only reported receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen in return.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted three exchanges of POWs so far, but have not disclosed exact numbers.