Russia transfers bodies of over 6,000 soldiers to Ukraine
Russia agreed to return the bodies of 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers after Russia-Ukraine talks held in Istanbul on June 2.
According to Medinsky, Russia has received the bodies of 78 Russian soldiers from the Ukrainian side, Xinhua news agency reported. "Prisoner exchanges continue. Arrangements have also been established regarding the exchange of severely wounded servicemen from the frontline," Medinsky, also Russia's chief negotiator at the talks with the Ukrainian side, wrote on Telegram.
Earlier on June 13, Ukraine brought home the bodies of 1,200 fallen soldiers as part of another stage of a swap deal with Russia.
The repatriation was carried out in line with agreements reached by the two parties in Turkey's Istanbul last week, said Ukraine's Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
"Law enforcement investigators, in cooperation with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct all necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies," the agency said.
Last week, Moscow said that it was ready to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, and had been waiting for the Ukrainian side for several days at the border, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said he hoped that the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers would also be transferred in the near future.
"There is no final understanding, contact is being made, numbers are being compared," he said, noting that as soon as there is an understanding, Moscow hopes the exchange of dead bodies will take place.
Earlier on June 12, Ukraine and Russia also carried out the second phase of a prisoner exchange involving seriously ill and severely wounded captives, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said on Telegram that servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service were among those released.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said another group of Russian servicemen had returned from Ukrainian captivity and were receiving necessary medical and psychological assistance in Belarus.
On June 9, Ukraine and Russia had carried out the first stage of a prisoner exchange following agreements reached in Istanbul.
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