Final Phase of Repatriation: Ukraine Receives Over 1,200 Fallen Soldiers from Russia

Russia has handed over the remains of 1,245 Ukrainian soldiers, as reported by Kyiv on Monday. This marks the conclusion of a deal established earlier this month to facilitate the repatriation of over 6,000 deceased troops.

The arrangement, which also encompassed prisoner swaps, emerged as the only significant result from two rounds of peace discussions held in Istanbul.

“Another 1,245 bodies have returned to Ukraine — the repatriation aspect of the Istanbul agreements has now been finalized,” stated Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov mentioned that in the last week, Kyiv had received more than 6,000 bodies.

Russia’s Defense Ministry noted a slightly higher number of 1,248 for this final transfer, asserting it had “fulfilled the agreement.” Additionally, it proposed to transfer another 2,239 remains.

Moscow indicated that it received the remains of 51 Russian soldiers in the latest exchange, bringing the total number of bodies returned by Ukraine to 78.

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

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, tens of thousands of soldiers have lost their lives on both sides, according to independent monitors and Western intelligence sources. Neither country regularly publishes or provides independently verifiable casualty statistics.