Russia has returned the remains of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv as part of a previously agreed exchange, according to Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow’s chief negotiator in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In a statement posted on Telegram Monday, Medinsky announced that Russia had repatriated 6,060 sets of Ukrainian military remains, in line with agreements reached during direct peace talks held in Istanbul and brokered by Türkiye earlier this month. In return, Ukraine handed over the bodies of 78 Russian soldiers, he said.
The original deal, reached in June during one of the rare rounds of bilateral talks, was expected to include an equal exchange of fallen troops. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, indicated at the time that parity in numbers was part of the understanding.
However, the process encountered early friction. On June 7, Kyiv reportedly refused to accept the first batch of remains, accusing Russia of pushing ahead prematurely. The exchange resumed the following day and continued through the past week.
The stark imbalance in numbers comes amid ongoing disputes over the true scale of casualties in the war. In an April interview, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine had suffered up to 100,000 military deaths since the conflict escalated in 2022. Russia, meanwhile, claims Ukrainian losses are significantly higher—possibly over ten times that figure—by the end of 2024.
Ukraine’s military, facing ongoing attrition, is under increasing strain. The country has imposed mandatory conscription on men aged 25 and older, and officials are now reportedly considering extending eligibility to those over 60. The mobilization effort has been plagued by widespread draft evasion and reports of corruption within regional recruitment offices.
The repatriation of the war dead, one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides, highlights the human toll of the conflict, even as broader peace negotiations remain stalled.
Source: TAAS
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
