Kyiv announced on Friday the return of over 900 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action against Russia, marking the second such exchange between the warring nations in the past three weeks.
This exchange of war dead, along with prisoner swaps, remains one of the few instances of cooperation between Ukraine and Russia since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the repatriation of “the bodies of 909 fallen Ukrainian defenders” via a social media statement.
While Russia typically does not publicise the return of its war dead or provide updated casualty figures, Russian media outlets reported the return of 41 Russian soldiers’ bodies, citing a member of the Russian parliamentary committee overseeing the conflict.
This exchange occurs against a backdrop of stalled US-led ceasefire efforts. Both sides are believed to have suffered tens of thousands of casualties, although official updates are infrequent.
In February, Ukraine’s President Zelensky estimated his country’s military losses at over 46,000 killed and 380,000 wounded.
Russia last reported its losses in autumn 2022, claiming fewer than 6,000 fatalities. Independent investigations suggest the actual Russian death toll is significantly higher.
