In a rare gesture of cooperation amid years of open conflict, Russia transferred the remains of 1,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv on Thursday, a Russian source part of Moscow’s negotiation team confirmed to journalists. In a reciprocal exchange, Ukraine returned the bodies of 41 fallen Russian troops to Russia, the source added.
This exchange marks one of the only consistent channels of collaboration between the two nations, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale offensive into Ukraine — a conflict that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of military personnel on both sides. Regular exchanges of war dead have become an established, if somber, practice throughout the ongoing hostilities.
Footage of the handover was published by Ruptly, Russia’s state-controlled video agency. The footage shows crew members clad in white protective overalls and blue disposable gloves, moving sealed white body bags from the back of a transport truck to a second vehicle for onward transfer. Individuals wearing overalls marked with the Red Cross emblem, indicating their role as independent observers, were also visible in the footage.
As of Thursday evening, Ukrainian officials have not issued any public statement confirming the details of the exchange. Last month, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that it currently facilitates the transfer of roughly 1,000 fallen soldiers’ remains between the two parties every month. The organization also noted that thousands more bodies of fallen troops remain unaccounted for and unidentified across conflict zones.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ignited the most destructive and deadly conflict on the European continent since World War II. Beyond the military death toll, the war has forced millions of people to flee their homes as displaced persons or refugees, and has resulted in widespread civilian casualties on both Ukrainian and Russian territory.