Russia Handles 1,200 More Fallen Soldiers to Ukraine as Part of Repatriation Efforts

Ukraine has received the remains of 1,200 more of its fallen soldiers from Russia, Ukrainian officials announced, bringing the total number of repatriated bodies to over 4,800 since the beginning of the conflict in 2022.

The transfer follows recent talks held in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to resume the return of war dead as part of broader humanitarian efforts.

The handover comes amid continuing efforts to facilitate exchanges of not only the war dead but also prisoners of war and medically vulnerable detainees.

Russian state media also confirmed the transfer of the 1,200 Ukrainian bodies, noting, however, that Moscow has not yet received a comparable return of its fallen personnel. Russian sources reported that a total of 27 Russian servicemen have been returned to date.

As outlined in the Istanbul agreement, both parties are expected to exchange up to 6,000 sets of remains and prioritize the return of sick, seriously wounded, and underage prisoners of war.

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground remains fluid. Russia has reported taking control of the village of Malynivka in the Donetsk region and advancing toward the northeastern Sumy region, now reportedly within 20 kilometers (approximately 12 miles) of the regional capital.

Ukraine’s military launched a long-range strike on a drone production facility in Russia’s Tatarstan region, nearly 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

With input from Al Jazeera