Russia, Ukraine exchange more bodies of war dead, Kremlin says

About 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers person been exchanged for the bodies of 19 Russian soldiers.

Russia and Ukraine person exchanged much bodies of their warfare dead, according to a Kremlin aide, arsenic portion of an statement reached during a 2nd circular of bid talks successful Turkiye past month.

“Following the agreements reached successful Istanbul, different 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were handed implicit to Ukraine today,” Vladimir Medinsky, caput of Russia’s delegation astatine the bid talks, said connected Telegram connected Thursday, adding that Ukraine handed implicit 19 slain Russian soldiers.

Exchanges of captured soldiers and the repatriation of remains person taken spot regularly since the little renewal of bid talks successful Istanbul successful May successful what amounts to immoderate of the lone palmy diplomacy betwixt the 2 sides successful their much than three-year war.

Medinsky posted photos connected Thursday showing radical successful achromatic aesculapian suits lifting achromatic assemblage bags from the backmost of refrigerated trucks.

Russia plans to instrumentality the bodies of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and this speech marked the opening of that process, Russia’s RIA authorities quality bureau reported.

During their direct gathering successful Istanbul connected June 2, Russia and Ukraine pledged to swap astatine slightest 1,000 soldiers connected each side.

Negotiators from some sides besides agreed to swap each severely wounded soldiers arsenic good arsenic each captured fighters nether the property of 25.

But aboriginal talks to sermon a way to extremity the warfare person stalled arsenic the gulf betwixt Moscow and Kyiv has remained unchanged contempt repeated unit from United States President Donald Trump that Russia hold to a ceasefire.

At the talks, Russia outlined a database of hardline demands, including for Ukraine to cede much territory and to cull each forms of Western subject support.

Kyiv dismissed them arsenic unacceptable ultimatums and has questioned the constituent of further negotiations if Moscow is not consenting to marque concessions.

In a further diplomatic development, different circular of reunification of minors with their families successful Russia and Ukraine took spot connected Thursday with the mediation of Qatar astatine its Moscow embassy. Eleven children volition reunite with their families successful Ukraine and 3 others with their families successful Russia. So far, much than 100 children person reunited with their families since Qatar began facilitating the process.

Ukraine said Russia took 20,000 children during the warfare and has fixed Moscow a database of hundreds who, they said, were taken from Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions since 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin faces war transgression charges earlier the International Criminal Court successful The Hague for the alleged “unlawful deportation and transportation of children”.

Before the latest captive exchange, a Russian aerial onslaught connected a buying centre and marketplace successful Dobropillia successful eastbound Ukraine killed astatine slightest 2 people, wounded 22 and caused wide harm connected Wednesday, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Filashkin said the gathering was struck by a 500kg (1,100lb) bomb.

In its latest overnight attacks, Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones arsenic good arsenic 1 ballistic missile, the Ukrainian aerial unit said. The strikes targeted the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, the cardinal metropolis of Kryvyi Rih, Vinnytsia successful the westbound and Odesa successful the south.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that its forces had captured the settlements of Popiv Yar successful the eastbound portion of Donetsk, Degtiarne successful Kharkiv successful the northeast and Kamianske successful Zaporizhia successful the south.