Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers
Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Jan. 29.
Russia confirmed that it had handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine under the Istanbul agreement in exchange for 38 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS reported on Jan. 29.
"Law enforcement investigators, together with representatives of Ukrainian expert institutions, will take all necessary measures to identify the repatriated deceased," the Coordination Headquarters said in its Telegram post.
The latest repatriation exchange comes as the U.S. pushes Ukraine and Russia to continue peace talks to reach a deal to end the war at all costs. The negotiations for the repatriation of the bodies are one of the few Kyiv-Moscow channels that continue to work, nearly four years into the full-scale war.
More bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, which are often difficult for front-line units to retrieve due to Russian advances, have returned home after the peace talks began in early 2025. Despite enduring heavier losses in its war against Ukraine, Russia is likely handing over more bodies than it receives since its troops have captured more Ukrainian bodies than vice versa, since they have been on the offensive for most of the war, according to Kyiv-based independent analytical platform VoxUkraine.
The Istanbul agreements refer to the 2025 Moscow-Kyiv negotiations held in Turkey, which have paved the way for Ukraine to repatriate its fallen soldiers' bodies from Russia. The first repatriation under the Istanbul Agreements took place in June, and thousands of bodies have been returned since then.
In its Telegram post, the Coordination Headquarters thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its help to carry out the latest repatriation, in addition to the civil-military cooperation with Ukraine's Armed Forces, the Joint Center for the Provision of measures of the Armed Forces, and law enforcement agencies under the Interior Ministry and Health Ministry.
