In return, Kiev transferred 31 bodies of Russian service members, Vladimir Medinsky has said
Moscow has transferred the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev and in return received 31 bodies of Russian servicemen, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky announced on Thursday.
Medinsky, who has served as Moscow’s chief negotiator with Kiev in several rounds of talks, said the exchange took place under the Istanbul agreements reached during direct negotiations in Türkiye this summer.
While the first direct diplomatic engagement between Russia and Ukraine since 2022 did not yield progress toward a peace deal, both sides prioritized humanitarian matters, including prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen troops.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the transfer, saying 1,000 bodies “which, according to the Russian side, belong to Ukrainian servicemen” were returned. It said identification and forensic examinations would follow. The agency thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for assisting with the repatriation.
As part of the Istanbul process, Russia has handed over to Ukraine the remains of several thousand servicemembers. The agreements have also enabled a major multi-staged prisoner swap involving around 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in August that during the last round of Istanbul talks, Moscow had proposed forming three joint working groups to address military, humanitarian, and political issues, but that never received an official response from Kiev.
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