Russia Transfers 1,200 Bodies of Soldiers to Ukraine

On June 13, Russia handed over 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) soldiers to Ukraine, according to RIA Novosti, citing an anonymous source.

However, during the transfer, the Ukrainian side did not return any bodies to Russia.

"We were not given any," the agency’s source stated.

This exchange of bodies was conducted in accordance with agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2, 2025, during the second round of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

The previous exchange took place on June 11, when Russia transferred 1,212 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, while Ukraine returned 27 bodies of Russian soldiers.

It is worth recalling that the last exchange of fallen soldiers was not without controversy. Russia brought bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the border in refrigerated vehicles on June 7, but Kiev initially postponed the exchange indefinitely. Several days later, however, Kiev ultimately retrieved its fighters.