Russia delivers additional 1,200 corpses of soldiers to Ukraine
(MENAFN) Russia has handed over the remains of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev, a transfer confirmed by both sides on Friday. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced the delivery and stated that the bodies will undergo identification procedures. Russian MP Shamsail Saraliev, part of the parliamentary group overseeing the Ukraine operation, also confirmed the handover to local media.
Footage from an undisclosed location shows the bodies being transported by train in refrigerated containers before being loaded onto a Ukrainian freight train. Russian reports indicate that this time, Moscow did not receive any bodies of Russian soldiers from Ukraine.
This handover follows a similar exchange on Wednesday, where Russia returned 1,212 Ukrainian remains and received 27 in return, according to Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow’s chief negotiator with Kiev.
Earlier this month, during negotiations in Istanbul, Moscow agreed to return more than 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. However, the process has faced delays, with Russia accusing Ukraine of intentionally postponing the acceptance of the remains. Medinsky noted that the first batch was delivered on time, but Ukrainian representatives failed to appear as scheduled, having rescheduled without prior notice.
Alongside exchanging bodies, Russia and Ukraine have also agreed to several prisoner swaps focusing on seriously wounded, ill, and younger captives under the age of 25. Over the past week, three such exchanges took place, though exact numbers have not been disclosed. Medinsky expects about 1,200 soldiers to be exchanged on each side during these ongoing swaps.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated on Thursday that Ukraine has fallen behind schedule in carrying out the exchanges and is unable to meet the agreed daily targets. “Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side is not prepared to conduct exchanges at the agreed swift pace,” the ministry said.
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