Russia hands over 1,200 soldiers' bodies to Ukraine
Ukraine has received the bodies of another 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war with Russia, as part of agreements to exchange both prisoners of war and the dead, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.
In several exchanges so far this month, Ukraine has repatriated more than 4,800 bodies, Ukrainian officials said.
This marks one of the largest returns of war dead since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian state news agencies TASS and RIA both reported the handover, saying Moscow had not received a single Russian corpse in return.
"As part of the agreements in Istanbul, the repatriation of the bodies of the deceased continues," said Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation at talks in Istanbul earlier this month.
"Today, the Russian side handed over another 1,200 bodies to Ukraine."
Mr Umerov said the next step is the "important and responsible stage of identification".
It is the fourth in a series of handovers of soldiers' remains to take place in the past week, in accordance with an agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine at talks in Istanbul.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed to each hand over as many as 6,000 bodies and to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25.
Russia has so far reported only receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen in return.
Ukraine and Russia have conducted three exchanges of POWs so far, but have not disclosed exact numbers.
Reuters
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SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 29 June 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT Home Affairs Minister says the listing of Terrorgram as a terrorist group aims to protect Australians Ukraine accuses Western nations of supplying Russian military with equipment Oscar Piastri to start the Austrian Grand Prix in third position Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says the formal listing of the violent online extremist group Terrorgram as a terrorist group is a necessary action to keep Australians safe. The federal government revealed the formal listing was partly motivated by an incident in June last year, involving an alleged plot to kill a New South Wales Labor M-P. The formal listing makes it an offence for anyone to be a member of, associate with, or support Terrorgram, with a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Mr Burke told Sky News that constant effort is needed to counter the activities of terrorist groups online. "Look, I won't confirm more than the New South Wales attack on Tim Crakanthorp because we have given that one as part of formal reasons for the listings. But I can tell you Australians are much safer in a situation where the moment we know that somebody is part of this group, we can charge them." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Western countries, including the United States, Germany and France, of supplying Russia with military components and equipment. Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, he says experts in Ukraine have identified hundreds of different components contained in Russian drones and missiles. "Unfortunately, even Western countries continue to supply Russia with equipment and critical components. In the past year alone, deliveries of machine tools to Russia's military-industrial complex were recorded from at least 12 countries, including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the United States." The EU Special Envoy for sanctions, David O'Sullivan, says actions have been taken to stop Russia accessing the latest weapons technology. "I think we have made it more difficult, more complicated and slower for Russia to obtain the kind of technologies that we are seeing here. We have not succeeded in stopping it totally and I'm sorry for that, because I know the suffering of the Ukrainian people. But I believe we have actually been quite successful in pressuring Russia; and we need to maintain that pressure while at the same time holding out the prospect that if Russia behaves correctly, we could have some kind of ceasefire and some kind of sensible negotiation. But for the moment, Russia doesn't seem to want that." The world's leading economies have agreed to a deal sparing the US's largest companies from paying more corporate tax overseas. In a statement, the Group of Seven says there's been agreement to exempt American companies from much of a 2021 deal imposing a 15 per cent global minimum corporate tax. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves says in exchange, they have secured the removal of Section 899 from Donald Trump's major tax bill, which would have imposed additional tax on businesses. She says the removal of the section provides a better environment for G7 nations to take the next steps in tackling aggressive tax planning and avoidance. In Formula One, Oscar Piastri will start the Austrian Grand Prix from third place, while his teammate Lando Norris will be in pole position. Piastri was unable to go for a final flying lap at the end of qualifying, after being forced to slow down due to yellow flags prompted by the actions of Frenchman Pierre Gasly who spun on the track, bouncing through the gravel and onto the grass. The Australian says it was frustrating. "I mean I am pretty disappointed - but on in myself. I didn't get to do my last lap of Q3 because of the yellow flags. So, you know I think pole was going to be a tough battle to win. But the front row was definitely for the taking. It's a shame to have that kind of bring it all undone a bit - but it still could have been worse. So, I will try make sone progress tomorrow."
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
The voices inside Iran the regime doesn't want you to hear
In a country where dissidents face arrest or even execution, 10 Iranians put themselves at risk to document the war. It's 2am in Iran when a message pops up on my phone. "They are bombing us now. I can hear it. I'm at my mum's. There is no shelter. I'm terrified. Pray for us. We may die." The text is from Zahra, a young woman who lives in Tehran, and she is risking her life to send it. It's difficult to get a sense of how ordinary Iranians have been feeling during the past fortnight. Foreign journalists are rarely allowed into Iran, and media in the country is tightly controlled by the regime. People who speak out face arrest, even execution, and rolling internet blackouts help authorities tighten their grip on information. One of my contacts was arrested and held in jail just last year. But throughout the war, several Iranians — including a teacher, a mother, and a labourer — have been sending me information as the war unfolded. They want the outside world to know what's happening in their country. Here are their stories. 'It felt like an earthquake': The war begins People described the first attacks as feeling "like an earthquake". ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Under the cover of darkness, Israel begins Operation Rising Lion on June 13. People wake to explosions and bright clouds of light in the sky. Panic and confusion sweep the streets. ZAHRA: It felt like an earthquake happened. I was terrified, it was almost close to my house. It was 2:30am and suddenly I saw a yellow-orange light … I brought my head up and heard booooooooooom. It all happened in a second. FARAH: My mum heard the booms at about 3am. And she started screaming. They attack our neighbourhood, behind my house, and everything is shattered and destroyed. ZAHRA: I called my mum and begged her to go to the basement. I was running the steps down, calling the neighbours to come down … my dog was following me. You have no idea how I was shaking, no idea! My spine was shaking, my whole body, my legs were shaking so much that I couldn't stand on them. Then it kept going, the night after and the night after. FARAH: In the streets, it is heart-wrenching. I feel so heartbroken to see the kids and young people, ordinary ones who are not in the army, are all killed. And near my house, there is a girl who is killed, she was 20-something, and I keep thinking about her because I remember that I had so many dreams when I was 20. Anyway, that's war. 'No-one is in the streets': Thousands flee Tehran People were told to evacuate Tehran, but several residents told the ABC it was difficult. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Hours after the attack, Iran's leaders declare war and fire barrages of missiles back at Israel. Israel's military continues to bomb nuclear sites and assassinate senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Civilians are also killed. People are told to evacuate Tehran — but not everyone can leave. FARAH: We left our city Tehran yesterday. Usually it takes four to five hours to reach to the north part of Iran and yesterday it took us 11 hours. It was very crowded, all the roads and the highways. And I just drive 500 metres in 10 minutes. It's horrible. ZAHRA: I am still in Tehran, it is almost empty. Shops are closed, no-one is in the streets. Some people spend more than 12 hours in traffic getting out of Tehran. In other cities, food and fuel is already scarce. FARAH: I just went to the petrol station here [in northern Iran] and they told me that I can just take the 30 litres, no more. And I heard from my friends in Tehran that you can just get 15 litres for your car per day and not more. So petrol is like a crisis. 'There is no place to hide': Fear intensifies People told the ABC they felt like "nothing" was in their control. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Five days into the war, Israel's bombing campaign continues. The official death toll in Iran has climbed past 200. It's unclear how many are civilians. People fear the war will continue for years. FARAH: It's been less than a week that they started the war and in just few days everything collapsed and destroyed. And we lost so many beautiful lives and minds. YASMIN: Nothing is in our control. It's not in the hands of the people here either. But we've gotta keep our spirit strong. We've been through so much through the years — and it's made us thick skinned … really thick. FARAH: Innocent people, they are killed, they stay in their home, and there is no alarm, there is no place to hide, there is not shelter, there's no food. I don't know what are we doing? ZAHRA: It's war. It's Israel. It's scary. 'They will kill us': Some hope war will topple regime Some people said they hoped the war would lead to the end of the regime. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) There's talk that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could be assassinated. Hundreds of men from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the military group that protects the theocratic regime — have also been killed. Amongst the fear, there is hope among people who despise the regime that it could fall. ZAHRA: I hate these paradoxical feelings. On one hand, I am glad that those [in the IRGC] who killed our children, blinded them, imprisoned us are dead. On the other hand, our national pride has been attacked and I/we feel humiliated. Some are angry with the regime and feel happy about eliminating the leaders. Some are not happy with the war and they think it's encroaching our country. KAMRAN: It's this strange feeling, like people were relieved the war started, just because they thought maybe everything else — all this madness — would finally end. ALI: If foreign attacks shatter the regime's grandeur and that fear shatters, it will definitely lead to regime change. ZAHRA: I just woke up, we're still at war. We want it all gone. The regime must go. If they stay after this war, they will kill us all. And we know it. Israel must end up eliminating the regime's men. If not, they will arrest us, they will kill us. 'This might be the last chance': Panic as US bombs Iran People were afraid of what the US joining the war could lead to. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Just after 2am on June 22, nine days after the first strikes, America joins the war. US forces drop massive "bunker-busting" bombs on several nuclear sites. People inside Iran fear this means real war — not just with Israel, but the start of something that could destroy all of their country. ZAHRA: They bombed Fordow and other sites. It was like an earthquake. Fordow was a place that Israel couldn't bomb so Trump did it instead. But Israel won't stop now. They will finish the Islamic Republic. LENA: State media is telling us that the enriched uranium was moved elsewhere and that nothing has happened. Right now, we don't even have satellite access. Many people don't know what actually happened. For example, I didn't know myself. I went out this morning [and] found out there that the US had struck. FARAH: Nobody knows what's going on and what will happen next. The nuclear leaks, maybe. Maybe we won't be like alive in the next few hours? Who knows? Now this American attack … I can't stop my tears. LENA: The regime doesn't let us access the news or talk to each other. They've shut everything down on us. ZAHRA: This might be the last chance for us. FINISH them. America will finish them. 'I am full of anger': Mixed feelings over sudden ceasefire Iranians had mixed feelings after the ceasefire was announced. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) A day after the US bombs Iran, Donald Trump announces a ceasefire. There's shock and disbelief inside Iran. Could the war really be over？ There's also a growing anger, at what some see as a missed opportunity to topple the regime. FARAH: For now I am full of anger … this mullah's regime is still here and our country is destroyed, many people have been killed for nothing!!!!!! This morning I was crying when I heard the news. They promised us to change the regime. They said that they're going to kill Khamenei, they're going to bring better days but it's all lies, empty promises. YASMIN: Nothing is in our control. It's not in the hands of the people here either. My brain is throbbing. I don't want to give this s*** anymore energy I'm done for today, I'm done with it all. With those f***ers, with politics. FARHAD: I would have preferred Israel to destruct and weaken the regime led by Khamenei even more. If they continue the war, they [Iran's regime] might get weaker, their economy might further weaken and the people could have greater courage to start an uprising. KAMRAN: If they go ahead and announce a permanent ceasefire, after all the damage that's been done to the Islamic Republic's infrastructure, our lives will only get worse. Much worse. 'I still have hope': People disappointed regime remains The Iranian regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has tight control over the media. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Anger quickly turns to fear with the realisation the war is over, but the regime remains. Some predict the weakened regime will crack down even harder — especially on those who oppose the regime — as it fights for its survival. FARAH: Right now the regime will have a lot of excuses — that if [you] don't behave like they what they want, according to them, based on Islamic rule, then it's enough for them to label you a spy — you are working for Israel, you are American spy. Then they kill you easily. AVA: I'm disappointed … I thought maybe this could be it. I still have hope that it [the ceasefire] won't last — because otherwise, the people will have to pay for this war. KAMRAN: If I'm being real, I've kind of lost faith, I'm disappointed. Maybe it's all just some psychological game they're playing, I don't know. FARAH: We went to do some shopping yesterday. On the way there, there were more than 10 checkpoints with lots and lots of young policemen with huge guns. I saw they stopped many young men and all kind of lorries and big cars. We came back in the evening, there were lots of checkpoints too with policemen but different types of uniform which I didn't recognise and we've never seen them before. Scary. 'Twelve days of horror': Iranians question what the war achieved Several people told the ABC the cost of food and fuel is already soaring. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) The war is over, but it's not time to celebrate. People in Tehran report massive damage and say the city will need extensive repairs. They say the regime and its henchmen are already jacking up the prices of petrol, oil, and food — likely to raise money to pay for the reconstruction. Some feel like the war was for nothing. KAMRAN: We're going to be the ones expected to pay for the damage — in every sense of the word. Any loss, any destruction — they'll find a way to get people to make up for it. They'll squeeze us. They'll justify it by saying, "We gave you peace. We gave you stability." In every possible sense — especially economically, we'll be crushed. We'll be struggling just to stay afloat, nothing more. BIJAN: We have been notified that for three or four days now, no imports are coming into Iran. Iran's stock exchange has been closed for a week. That affects the economy. FARAH: We don't know how to be happy. What did they achieve from this kind of war? It's just 12 days of horror and shocks and stress. They destroyed all the buildings. They destroyed our homes. They killed innocent, ordinary people … I feel like my heart is bleeding. ZAHRA: Yes we are tired … yes we are disappointed. But, change takes time. You should know the history of Saddam and Gaddafi? The same thing happened. So we will be patient. Change will happen. Credits: Reporting: Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn Additional reporting: Kaveh Akbari, Fariba Sahraei and Nassim Khadem Illustrations: Sharon Gordon Digital production and editing: Leonie Thorne and Toby Mann
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Russia's ploy to virtue signal during the Middle East crisis is dripping with irony
As the world fixated on the sudden eruption of hostilities between Israel and Iran, a quieter, more calculating player loomed just offstage. Analysts have warned about how the Kremlin has leveraged chaos in the past for its own benefit. But Russia's elites played their same old tune as missiles flew over the Middle East this week. In the span of just a few days, what began as tit-for-tat missile exchanges between Israel and Iran escalated into what alarmists dubbed 'WWIII'. It was a solid gold opportunity for the Kremlin to divert global attention from its own misdeeds, while also posturing as a so-called peacemaker. The United States, despite initial hesitations, was eventually drawn into the fray to assist in defending Israeli airspace and then de-escalate the situation 'diplomatically' with a devastating B-2 stealth bomber assault. But in the background, Vladimir Putin quietly worked a different angle. Russia jumped at the opportunity to pose as the adult in the room and appear 'above the fray' — all while exploiting the fog of war to reduce public focus on Ukraine and test the boundaries of US restraint. This is the opinion of Dr Ivana Stradner, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who claims Russia 'never misses an opportunity to exploit a crisis'. 'Russia benefits from the situation in the Middle East to divert [the] West's attention from Ukraine,' Dr Stradner told That strategy came into sharp focus as the Kremlin loudly condemned Israeli strikes, all while continuing its relentless three-and-a-half-year assault on sovereign Ukraine. Moscow then boldly positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict, using the UN as its springboard. 'The Kremlin is trying to portray itself as a reasonable voice that wants to stop 'WWIII' and act as a pillar of stability in the Middle East,' Dr Stradner continued. 'Moscow is also using the UN to flex its diplomatic muscles, as Russia has a veto there. 'Ironically, Putin has also offered to mediate the conflict, but he is neither willing nor able to be an effective mediator. Putin wants to pander to President Trump to strengthen his position in negotiations on Ukraine and to portray himself as a reliable partner to Washington.' While the deception might fall flat among those keenly aware of Russia's advanced misinformation tactics, the Kremlin's propaganda train chugs on, hoping to win the hearts of those undecided on who to trust in the twisted theatre of world politics. But even more telling is what Russia didn't do. Despite its longstanding security relationship with Iran, which includes the presence of Russian technicians at Iranian nuclear sites, Moscow made no military moves to support Tehran directly. Instead, as Dr Stradner points out, 'Russia already abandoned its allies Armenia and Syria, and now Iran. The West should remind Putin's allies across the world that with friends like Putin, they do not need enemies.' Trump fires up at 'N-word' Whilecertain Russian assets were virtue signalling, others were jumping on the opportunity to put a fright up the West. Former President and Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev ominously warned that Iran could just source their nuclear weapons from allies. 'A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads,' Medvedev wrote on X. Those comments riled up Donald Trump, who accused Medvedev of playing with the 'N-word' a little too haphazardly. 'Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the 'N word' (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran?' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'The 'N word' should not be treated so casually. I guess that's why Putin's 'THE BOSS.'' But Dr Stradner says it's all hot air. 'Medvedev's words are a textbook case of reflexive control,' she explained, referring to Russia's longstanding strategy of seeding confusion and fear to paralyse decision-making. 'For Putin, nuclear weapons are cognitive weapons.' Dr Stradner stressed that the Trump administration and Western powerbrokers must avoid reacting to intentionally inflammatory tactics. 'Nobody should take Medvedev's words seriously,' she said. 'It is pure propaganda.' Russia's nuclear chest-beating has become a predictable tool to distract, distort, and deter. It may not intend to launch missiles, but it absolutely intends to shape how others behave through the threat of escalation. Alliances tested but not broken While many view the Russia-Iran relationship as purely strategic, Dr Stradner sees a deeper ideological connection forming between the two nations. 'They are like friends with benefits,' she said. 'They have different interests in Central Asia, but they have a mutual enemy: the United States, and that's their bond.' More than just co-operation on drones or ballistic missiles, the partnership reflects a shared desire to bypass Western-led institutions and promote a traditionalist, anti-liberal order. 'There is an ideological alliance defending traditionalist, religious, and anti-liberal values,' Dr Stradner noted. While put under heavy strain this week, Russia's alliances with anti-West nations are growing. Russian nationalists have advocated for an 'Axis of Aggressors' that includes Iran, China, and North Korea, connected through projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor, an initiative that would provide a logistics lifeline to sidestep Western trade routes. Then there's the BRICS alliance, consisting of major superpowers like China, India and Russia. Mr Putin riled up the Mr Trump camp late last year at a BRICS summit in Moscow, calling for a 'multipolar world order' in front of 20 leaders from powerful allied nations. They had gathered in the Russian capital to discuss sweeping plans, including the development of a BRICS-led international payment system. Russia has touted the platform as an attractive alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7. 'The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process,' Mr Putin said at the official opening of the summit.
