Ukraine says 1,003 bodies of fallen soldiers return home
The bodies of 1,003 fallen soldiers returned to Ukraine in the latest repatriation efforts, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Dec. 19.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin currently serving as chief negotiator, said that Moscow returned the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers under the Istanbul agreements in exchange for 26 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Russian Interfax news agency reported on Dec. 19.
The announcement comes as Moscow and Kyiv continue peace talks under the U.S.' latest push to end the war at all costs. 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.
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.
The law enforcement and the Interior Ministry institutions will conduct necessary examinations to identify the bodies, which Russia says belong to Ukrainian soldiers, according to the Coordination Headquarters.
The Coordination Headquarters thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as Ukrainian institutions such as the Joint Forces Operation of the General Staff, for their assistance in the repatriation efforts.
