Kiev/Moscow, Sept 17. (dpa/GNA) – Ukraine and Russia have exchanged the bodies of soldiers once again, authorities said on Thursday.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Kiev, received 252 bodies “of Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.”
The Russian side was handed the remains of 23 Russian soldiers, according to media reports. The exchange was carried out with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The location of the handover was not disclosed.
The two sides regularly exchange the bodies of fallen soldiers. Since the beginning of 2025, Ukraine has received more than 21,000 bodies, while Russia has received more than 700.
The large discrepancy is partly due to the steady advance of Russian forces, as Ukrainian troops are not always able to recover their dead when retreating.
However, the number of bodies handed over by Moscow to Kiev has recently declined.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. The number of military deaths is classified.
Both sides closely guard their military casualty figures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in July put the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed at around 50,000, although estimates based on published death notices suggest more than 200,000 have died.
On the Russian side, the number of dead soldiers is now estimated at more than 350,000.
GNA