Russia and Ukraine Exchange Hundreds of Soldiers' Remains Amid Ongoing Conflict

Kyiv. Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, both countries have exchanged the bodies of each other's soldiers. Russia announced that it handed over the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and, in return, received the bodies of 35 Russian soldiers.

Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a brief statement via Telegram confirming the exchange of bodies. Although he did not disclose further details, he published a picture showing bodies being unloaded from a truck.

A few hours later, Ukraine confirmed receiving 1,000 bodies, stating they could belong to Ukrainian defenders based on prior information from the Russian side. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of launching 420 drone and 39 missile strikes across six regions of Ukraine before the Geneva talks. According to him, dozens of people were injured in the attack.

In Geneva, Ukraine's chief negotiator discussed economic plans for post-war reconstruction with envoys of US President Donald Trump. Additionally, preparations are underway for a third round of trilateral talks, facilitated by the US to end the conflict, in which the Russian side is also expected to participate. The war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, has now entered its fifth year. During this period, both sides have already exchanged thousands of soldiers' remains.