In a significant humanitarian development, Russia has agreed to return the bodies of approximately 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv under a new prisoner exchange agreement. The commitment came during the second round of direct peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, held in Istanbul on Monday.
Frozen Remains to Be Handed Over Next Week
Kremlin aide and chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky stated, “First of all, we will unilaterally hand over 6,000 frozen bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers and officers to the Ukrainian side. We have kept them. We have identified all whom we could, held DNA tests and found out who they are…Next week, we will transfer these bodies to the Ukrainian side so that they can bury them in a human manner.”
Medinsky added that Moscow is open to receiving the remains of Russian servicemen from Ukraine if available. “If they have some bodies, we will also receive them. So far, we do not know about that,” he noted.
Largest Prisoner Swap Also Finalized
Both nations have also agreed to the largest prisoner exchange since the war began, involving at least 1,000 prisoners from each side. The swap includes gravely wounded and severely ill soldiers, as well as troops under the age of 25.
“All gravely wounded and seriously ill soldiers will be exchanged for all. This is a humanitarian gesture on our part. The same approach – all for all – will be used to exchange young soldiers under the age of 25,” Medinsky said, emphasizing that numbers are still being finalized.
Permanent medical commissions will be formed by both sides to evaluate and verify soldiers eligible for future exchanges. “These exchanges will be conducted regularly as part of routine operations,” Medinsky explained.
Russia Responds to Child Abduction Allegations
Medinsky also addressed Ukraine’s accusations of Russia abducting children during the conflict. “Children are central to us…We’ve been hearing lately that 1.5 million Ukrainian children were abducted by the Russians. Then the number came down to 200,000, and now the official figure is 20,000. We’ve constantly asked to provide documentary evidence. We finally obtained a complete list…It includes 339 names. We will look into each case,” he said.
Denying any abduction, he claimed these children had been rescued from combat zones by Russian soldiers. “None of these children have been abducted. Not a single one. These are the children who were rescued by our soldiers, often at the cost of their lives, pulled from combat zones and taken to safety. We are looking for their parents. If the parents are found, the children are returned,” he added.
No Ceasefire Despite Talks
The peace talks concluded in under an hour and yielded no major breakthroughs. Russia continues to reject calls for an immediate ceasefire, including demands from US President Donald Trump. The negotiations came just a day after Ukraine launched a notable drone strike deep inside Russian territory.
