Russia returned the bodies of 1,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers on Thursday, as part of an agreement reached during last month’s peace talks in Istanbul, according to official sources from both countries.
While negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv have yielded little progress toward a ceasefire, they have resulted in significant humanitarian exchanges, including the repatriation of remains and large-scale prisoner swaps.
“The bodies of 1,000 deceased individuals, identified as Ukrainian citizens including soldiers, have been returned,” read a statement from the Ukrainian government agency responsible for coordinating prisoner-of-war affairs. Ukrainian authorities will now begin identifying the remains in order to return them to their families.
Kyiv recently accused Russia of sending back the remains of Russian soldiers while falsely labeling them as Ukrainian fighters. Russian negotiator and Kremlin adviser Vladimir Medinsky confirmed the handover of the 1,000 bodies to Ukraine and stated that, in return, Kyiv had transferred the remains of 19 Russian soldiers.
Medinsky shared images on his Telegram channel showing medical personnel unloading white body bags from refrigerated trucks.
Despite the ongoing war, these exchanges have remained one of the few steady channels of diplomatic contact. Early last month, both governments agreed to return the remains of 6,000 fallen combatants. Ukraine confirmed in June that it had received the full number, while Russia has recovered a smaller share.
Ukrainian officials attribute this imbalance to the dynamics on the battlefield: with Russia holding the offensive and controlling more territory, a larger number of Ukrainian soldiers end up in enemy hands.
Now in its third year, the conflict shows no signs of ending. Despite international pressure—including from U.S. President Donald Trump—Russia has resisted calls for a ceasefire.
In the most recent round of talks in Istanbul, Moscow presented a list of demands that Kyiv dismissed as unacceptable, including the surrender of more Ukrainian territory and a rejection of all forms of Western military support. Ukrainian officials labeled the demands as “ultimatums” and questioned the usefulness of continuing negotiations unless Russia shows a willingness to compromise.
