Russia Moscow hands over 6,000 dead soldiers - and offers more
Following the handover of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies to Kiev, Moscow has declared its willingness to return further bodies. 2,239 bodies could be handed over, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
16.06.2025, 14:12
SDA
Previously, in accordance with an agreement reached during talks in Istanbul, more than 1,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers had been handed over to Ukraine for the fifth time in a week. Russia also received fallen soldiers back.
According to Ukraine, the bodies of a total of 6,057 soldiers have been returned in five handovers. In return, the Russian side received 78 bodies, said Moscow's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. The exchange of prisoners will also continue, he announced on Telegram. This involves seriously injured people along the front line.
The Russian army has been steadily advancing for months and the Ukrainian side is therefore unable to recover its own casualties. According to Ukrainian MP Sofija Fedina, the majority of those killed came from the western Russian border region of Kursk, from which the Ukrainian troops were pushed out again after several months of heavy fighting.
Originally, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umjerov had announced an exchange of 6,000 soldiers' bodies for 6,000 in direct negotiations between the warring parties in Istanbul on 2 June. Russia only ever spoke of handing over Ukrainian casualties.
Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion for more than three years.
