Kyiv: Ukraine and Russia have successfully completed an exchange of deceased soldiers, marking the final stage of a pivotal agreement aimed at returning fallen soldiers to their respective homelands.
According to BBC, Kyiv reported that Moscow transferred 1,245 bodies on Monday, bringing the total number to 6,057 over the past few days. Ukrainian authorities are currently verifying the identities of the bodies to confirm if they all belong to Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia, on the other hand, stated that a total of 6,060 bodies have been transferred to Ukraine, and confirmed that 78 bodies of Russian soldiers have been repatriated. Ukraine's government agency responsible for coordinating repatriation efforts issued a statement noting the return of "another 1,245 bodies to Ukraine." The statement also mentioned that Ukrainian law enforcement experts would conduct identification processes and necessary examinations.
The Russian defense ministry reported that 1,248 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers had been handed over to Kyiv. However, this figure was challenged by Klymenko, who claimed that Ukraine received bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians in earlier exchanges. The Russian defense ministry also announced the receipt of 51 Russian soldiers' bodies on Monday, bringing the total to 78, and expressed readiness to hand over an additional 2,239 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.
The discrepancy in figures between the two nations may be attributed to Russia's recent territorial gains, which have allowed them to recover more of their soldiers' remains. Despite the grim nature of the task, trust between the two sides remains low.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) did not disclose the number of bodies exchanged by each side. "It's been up to them really to figure out the details, to discuss directly and determine where this takes place, when, and which human remains to be part of that process," ICRC spokesman Pat Griffiths shared with the BBC. The agreement for repatriation and prisoner exchange was reached during peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier this month.