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Ukraine announced on Sunday that it has received another transfer of 1,200 bodies from Russia, part of an exchange agreement finalised during Istanbul talks earlier this month.
Kyiv’s headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war confirmed on social media that these bodies, which Russia claims are those of “Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel,” have been returned.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov further stated on Facebook that a total of 4,812 bodies have been returned this week, expressing gratitude to all involved in the “humanitarian mission.” Ukraine has not yet disclosed whether it has transferred any bodies to Russia.
This exchange is part of a broader agreement, reached during direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, which also includes a large-scale exchange of prisoners. Both Russia and Ukraine typically do not release their military casualty figures.
However, President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this year told NBC that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and approximately 380,000 wounded.
Russia last announced its military deaths in September 2022, reporting fewer than 6,000 fatalities, a figure widely believed to be a significant understatement. Independent investigations, using open-source data, have identified around 111,000 killed Russian soldiers by name.
