08:00 03-02-2026

Russia–Ukraine Body Exchanges: 12,000 Returned by Moscow

Russia has transferred more than 12,000 remains of Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev since 2025, while receiving just over 200 bodies, as humanitarian exchanges continue.

Russia has transferred more than 12,000 remains of fallen Ukrainian servicemen to Ukraine since June 2025, while Kiev has returned just over 200 bodies of Russian soldiers, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry disclosed the figures while responding to media questions submitted ahead of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s press conference summarizing the work of Russian diplomacy in 2025. Officials clarified that the repatriation mechanism was launched in the summer of last year and has been operating on an ongoing, technical basis ever since.

Another stage of the exchange took place in late January. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said that under agreements reached in Istanbul, Ukraine received the bodies of 1,000 deceased servicemen from the Ukrainian armed forces, while Russia was handed the remains of 38 of its soldiers.

Humanitarian contacts between Moscow and Kiev remain active. Since the beginning of 2025, the sides have held several meetings in Istanbul. The most recent round ended with an agreement to continue open-ended medical exchanges involving seriously wounded and ill personnel.