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Russia and Ukraine have exchanged the remains of soldiers who were slain in the ongoing war between the two countries.Â
Russia handed over the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, with Ukraine returning the bodies of 35 Russians in exchange. Moscow’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said on social media.
“The bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers were given to Ukraine. Russia was given the bodies of 35 dead Russian fighters,” said Medinsky.
The negotiator attached a photo showing men in white overalls and blue gloves lifting a white body bag from the back of a refrigerated truck.
Thousands of soldiers have been killed in the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year.
Analysts say the exchange of slain troops is one of the few areas of cooperation between the conflicting countries.
The war began on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukrain although tensions had been escalating between the two neighbouring countries since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and conflict broke out in Donbas.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and an end to the suffering caused by the war, and condemned the humanitarian toll it has inflicted on both countries. Pope Leo XIV has also waded into the ongoing conflict, appealing for peace.
There have also been third-party mediation efforts from Turkiye, African countries, the United States, and Western leaders. None of the mediation attempts has brought a permanent end to the war.
