Is Russia Ready to Transfer 3,000 More Bodies of Ukrainian Soldiers?

Moscow, June 19 (NationPress) Russia has announced its readiness to transfer the remains of an additional 3,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

"We have already returned the remains of 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers. We are set to hand over nearly 3,000 more," he stated during a discussion with leaders of prominent international news organizations in St. Petersburg.

"These numbers, I must emphasize, are deeply saddening and tragic," Putin remarked.

Putin also indicated that the peace discussions in Istanbul are meaningful and yield positive results, as reported by Xinhua.

"We have reached an agreement to exchange 1,200 prisoners. To date, we have released 500 and received 400 in return. I am confident that we will ultimately receive everyone owed to us. Regrettably, discussing this matter is challenging. We have returned over 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian servicemen while only getting back 57. We are now poised to transfer an additional 3,000, which remains a positive outcome of the Istanbul discussions," the Russian leader noted.

The second round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia occurred in Istanbul on June 2.

During these talks, delegations deliberated on a potential ceasefire as well as preparations for a new prisoner-of-war exchange.

Specifically, the parties consented to a new exchange of identified categories of prisoners and a mutual return of the remains of fallen soldiers, using a 6,000-for-6,000 formula.

The initial phase of the prisoner exchange transpired on June 9, with subsequent rounds occurring on June 11 and June 13.

On June 14, the fourth prisoner exchange was executed.

In total, as part of these exchanges, the remains of 3,600 fallen soldiers have been returned to Ukraine.

Previously, on June 13, Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian Presidential Aide leading the talks with Ukraine, reported that Moscow had transferred the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian service members to Kyiv and received 27 Russian soldiers in return.

During discussions in Istanbul on June 2, Russia and Ukraine reached a humanitarian accord that encompasses the exchange of wounded and critically ill prisoners of war, along with soldiers aged under 25, and the transfer of the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian troops to Kyiv. However, on June 7, Ukraine unexpectedly opted to delay the acceptance of the bodies and prisoner exchanges, Medinsky noted.

The first group of Russian soldiers aged under 25 returned to Russia on June 9.

An aircraft transporting the second group of troops landed in Russia on June 10.