Kyiv has announced that it has received the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers from Russia, marking the latest in a long series of exchanges between the two countries. The return comes as the conflict continues to drag into its fourth year with no resolution in sight.
Moscow’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said Russia received 38 bodies in return. He shared a photo on Telegram showing the exchange, with people in protective suits standing beside white refrigerated trucks used for transporting the remains.
Over the course of nearly four years, Kyiv and Moscow have returned thousands of soldiers’ bodies to each other. This latest handover follows a deal reached during talks in Istanbul in 2025, which called for both sides to return 12,000 bodies, as well as all sick and badly injured prisoners of war and those under the age of 25.
The last swap took place in November 2025, when Russia handed back 1,000 bodies to Ukraine and received 30 in exchange. Since October 2025, no prisoners of war have been returned, with both sides accusing the other of delaying the process.
As February approaches, marking four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, efforts to reach a peace settlement continue. Last week, negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States met in the United Arab Emirates for the first trilateral talks since the war began.
While all parties described the discussions as constructive, key issues remain unresolved, including Russia’s insistence that Ukraine give up control of 25% of the Donetsk region.
Despite ongoing diplomacy, attacks have not stopped. Both countries continue drone strikes, and at least five people were killed in Kharkiv on Tuesday when a Russian drone hit a passenger train.
Russia has intensified its attacks on vital infrastructure in recent months, leaving many Ukrainians without heating or electricity in freezing winter conditions.
