Ukraine has received the remains of 1,212 fallen servicemembers as part of a recently agreed exchange with Russia, officials confirmed.

The bodies were returned from multiple regions, including Russia’s Kursk area and Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, according to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

“Forensic experts and law enforcement will begin the identification process immediately,” the agency said in a statement.

Disputed exchange timing and official statements

The body transfer follows a broader agreement reached during the second round of Ukraine–Russia negotiations in Istanbul on 2 June. The deal covers the exchange of all critically wounded or seriously ill prisoners of war, as well as all servicemembers aged 18 to 25.

Both sides also agreed to repatriate the bodies of 6,000 fallen soldiers from each side.

Russia claimed it delivered the remains on 7 June but alleged that Ukraine initially declined to accept them. Ukrainian officials countered that a final date for the transfer had not been agreed at that time.

“We handed over 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian troops. In return, we received 27 fallen Russian servicemen,” said Vladimir Medinsky, aide to the Russian president and head of the Russian delegation, via Telegram.

New rounds of exchanges underway

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) later released photos of the returned remains and thanked the International Red Cross for its assistance.

Additional exchanges have since taken place. On 9 June, Ukraine and Russia carried out a further transfer of prisoners—reportedly including wounded and severely injured servicemembers, as well as those under 25—though exact figures were not disclosed.

A second phase occurred on 10 June, with more wounded Ukrainian soldiers returning home. “12 June, we will begin urgent ‘medical exchanges’ of severely wounded prisoners from the front line,” Medinsky added.

This large-scale agreement on repatriations remains the only publicly confirmed result of the 2 June Istanbul talks.

6,000 for 6,000: Kyiv and Moscow have agreed on the largest exchange of fallen soldiers since the full-scale war began in the latest meeting in Istanbul. 

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, has announced that the parties agreed on a new large-scale swap at the negotiations. 

“We have agreed on exchanges. We will soon provide details,” he said after the talks.

According to the minister, the focus was on three key categories:

• Severely wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war,
• Young soldiers aged 18 to 25,
• Bodies of fallen soldiers.

The sides have agreed on an “all-for-all” exchange principle for each category. This includes exchanging 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers for the same number from the Russian side.

In addition, the Ukrainian side handed over to Russia a list of several hundred kidnapped Ukrainian children who were illegally deported to Russia. Ukraine insists on their immediate return.

The negotiations ended following Ukraine’s biggest Spiderweb operation, which damaged or destroyed 40 Russian aircraft. Many military experts and officials have praised the strikes, calling them the future of modern warfare.