Ukraine receives 1,200 fallen soldiers in ongoing exchange with Russia

Ukraine announced on Friday that it had recovered the remains of 1,200 soldiers killed in the ongoing war with Russia, as part of a broader agreement involving the exchange of both prisoners of war and deceased personnel.

“The Russian side has confirmed that the bodies are those of Ukrainian citizens, including members of the armed forces,” the Ukrainian coordination committee for prisoner exchanges stated via Telegram. Forensic experts are expected to carry out identification procedures.

The committee also shared images showing personnel in white protective gear, bearing the emblem of the International Committee of the Red Cross, working near train carriages at an undisclosed location.

Earlier this week, Ukraine repatriated the remains of another 1,212 fallen servicemen. These efforts come amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Kyiv and Moscow have reached a mutual agreement to return up to 6,000 bodies each, as well as to exchange seriously wounded and ill prisoners of war, along with those under the age of 25.

Although Ukraine and Russia conducted three prisoner swaps this week, neither side has disclosed the number of individuals exchanged in each instance.