Russia returns bodies of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers under Istanbul agreement

Russia has handed over the bodies of another 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the ongoing war, bringing the total number of war dead repatriated to Ukraine to more than 4,800, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced the development via Telegram, stating that the return was part of a broader agreement reached during talks in Istanbul earlier this month.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov expressed gratitude to all those involved in the handover process, noting that the upcoming identification phase would be “a complex and sensitive task” aimed at providing closure to grieving families.

The recent exchange represents one of the largest returns of remains since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

While Russian state media confirmed the transfer, it claimed Moscow had not received any Russian bodies in return, accusing Kyiv of failing to uphold its end of the deal. According to the agreement, both sides are to exchange up to 6,000 bodies, along with severely wounded prisoners and those under the age of 25. So far, Russia says it has received only 27 of its fallen soldiers.

Ukraine has not publicly responded to the allegation.

The latest repatriation came amid heightened hostilities. Russia claimed it had captured the village of Malynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and was making advances toward the northeastern Sumy region, with forces reportedly just 18 to 20 kilometers from Sumy's capital.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it targeted a drone production facility in Russia’s Tatarstan region, about 1,000 kilometers from the border. The site in the city of Yelabuga was allegedly being used to manufacture and launch drones for attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

Source: With inputs from Al Jazeera