KYIV, Ukraine (BN24) — Ukrainian authorities said Sunday they have received 1,200 more bodies from Russia, the latest in a large-scale exchange of war dead under an agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this month.
The transfer brings the total number of bodies returned to Ukraine in recent days to 4,812, according to Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who called the operation a “humanitarian mission.”
“Another 1,200 bodies which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel, were returned to Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced on social media.
The bodies were transferred as part of a June 2 agreement brokered during direct talks in Istanbul between Ukrainian and Russian representatives. The deal included arrangements for the exchange of prisoners of war and remains of fallen soldiers.
While Ukraine has publicly acknowledged receiving bodies, it has not confirmed whether any remains were sent back to Russia as part of the reciprocal agreement.
The scale of losses remains a sensitive topic for both sides. Neither Ukraine nor Russia routinely disclose updated casualty figures. However, in a rare public estimate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC earlier this year that the war has claimed the lives of more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers, with some 380,000 wounded.
Russia last issued an official death toll in September 2022, reporting fewer than 6,000 fatalities—a number widely disputed by military analysts and independent researchers.
Open-source investigations by Mediazona and BBC’s Russian service have since identified the names of more than 111,000 Russian soldiers believed to have died in the war. These estimates are based on official obituaries, court records, and statements from local governments and families.
As the war continues into its third year, both Ukraine and Russia have relied on frequent but discreet exchanges of war dead—a grim testament to the intensity and scale of the conflict still unfolding across vast parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
