“Moscow handed over 1,000 bodies of its fallen troops to Kiev, while the Ukrainian side sent the remains of 38 Russian servicemen,” explained Medinsky, who is also the head of the Russian delegation during several rounds of talks with representatives of the Ukrainian government.

The official stated that the last exchange, part of the agreements reached in Istanbul last year, took place on January 29.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed, in the course of 2025, that the remains of more than 12,000 of its fallen combatants were transferred to Ukraine, while the Kremlin recovered more than 200 bodies of its military personnel.

The Defense Ministry informed that at the beginning of the exchange process, the authorities under the command of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed reluctance to receive and return the bodies of the deceased; however, the disagreement on this matter was later resolved.

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