Russia Fulfills Istanbul Deal, Ukraine Receives More Than 6,000 Army Bodies

JAKARTA - Ukraine received more than 6,000 bodies of its soldiers who died on the battlefield, as Russia said it fulfilled Istanbul's agreement and was ready to hand over more than 2,000 bodies.

Ukraine received 1,245 bodies of its soldiers who died as a result of the war on Monday in the final stages of repatriating the bodies agreed in negotiations in Istanbul, Ukrainian officials said.

"Today marks the final stages of repatriation of the soldiers who died," said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, quoted by Reuters on June 17.

"Since last week, when the Istanbul agreement began, we have managed to bring home more than 6,000 bodies," he continued.

This marks one of the biggest war victims repatriation since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

The handover of the bodies of soldiers was part of an agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine during the second round of their negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month.

Separately, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky who is also the head of the Russian delegation in the peace negotiations said his party had handed back the bodies of 6,060 Ukrainian soldiers.

"Russia has fulfilled what was promised in Istanbul: a total of 6,060 Ukrainian soldiers and officers' bodies have been handed over to Ukraine," Medinsky wrote on his Telegram channel, as reported by TASS.

"The exchange of prisoners continues. Regulations have also been set regarding the exchange of soldiers who were seriously injured from the front lines," Medinsky added.

He said, as part of the deal, Russia had received the bodies of 78 of its soldiers who died on the battlefield.

Ukrainian officials said they had received 6,057 bodies. They did not immediately provide an explanation of the difference in number.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Moscow was ready to hand over 2,239 bodies again to Ukraine.

Both Ukraine and Russia said the process of exchanging prisoners of war was still ongoing.

"We will not stop. The next stage is ahead: we continue the struggle to bring back our prisoners of war," Defense Minister Umerov explained in a post on Facebook.

The deal on the exchange of prisoners of war was the only concrete result during talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul.

However, both sides are still far different in their vision of how to end the war, and they also failed to agree on a ceasefire.