Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more than 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers in the latest humanitarian transfer linked to the ongoing war between the two countries.
According to Russian officials, Moscow handed over the remains of 1,000 soldiers believed to be Ukrainian, while receiving the bodies of 35 Russian servicemen in return.
The exchange coincided with diplomatic discussions in Geneva, where Ukrainian negotiators met envoys of Donald Trump to discuss economic reconstruction plans for Ukraine following years of conflict.
The talks formed part of preparations for a third round of US-led negotiations aimed at ending the war, which is now entering its fifth year. The proposed trilateral dialogue is expected to include Russian representatives as well.
Hours before the Geneva discussions, Ukraine reported a major aerial assault, stating that Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles across six Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack injured dozens of civilians and caused widespread damage.
The body exchange was announced by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who made the brief announcement via Telegram, accompanying it with an image showing bodies being unloaded from a vehicle.
Ukraine later confirmed receiving 1,000 bodies, which Russian authorities indicated may belong to Ukrainian military personnel based on prior information.
Since the full-scale invasion launched by Russia on 24 February 2022, the two sides have conducted several prisoner and remains exchanges under agreements reached during negotiations in Istanbul in June 2025.
Under that framework, both countries agreed to return up to 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers each, along with severely wounded prisoners of war and detainees under 25 years old.
Both Moscow and Kyiv regularly publish casualty estimates for the opposing side but rarely disclose comprehensive figures for their own losses.
Recent statements from Zelensky indicated that about 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in combat, though some Western analysts believe the true number may be higher since missing personnel are often excluded.
Independent verification by the BBC has confirmed nearly 186,000 deaths among Russian combatants based on publicly available records, though the actual toll is widely believed to be higher due to unrecorded battlefield fatalities.
Analysts note that although estimates suggest higher Russian casualties, Moscow has returned more bodies to Ukraine overall than it has received.
No official explanation has been given for the imbalance, though some observers speculate it may be linked to battlefield positioning, as Russian forces have often been on the offensive, making it easier to recover fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Both sides have previously accused each other of failing to fully comply with the Istanbul agreement, with Ukraine alleging irregularities in Russia’s body returns, claims Moscow has rejected.
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