Russia claims to have transferred over 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian military personnel to Ukraine and received 57 bodies of Russian soldiers in return. President Vladimir Putin announced this during a meeting with heads of international news agencies, stating Russia’s readiness to hand over more than 3,000 additional bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.

Putin emphasized that these actions are related to ongoing negotiations with Kyiv, which Moscow is committed to pursuing. He believes that the humanitarian aspect of these negotiations warrants their continuation, adding that negotiation teams from both countries are in constant communication.

Previously, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky mentioned the return of 78 deceased Russian soldiers from Kyiv. Agreements made during negotiations in Istanbul on June 2 stipulated that Russia would transfer 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.

On June 8, Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, a representative of the Russian negotiating group, stated that 1,212 bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers had been brought to the exchange site in the Bryansk region. However, the exchange was postponed indefinitely due to the absence of Ukrainian representatives.

Subsequently, Medinsky reported the transfer of 1,212 bodies to Ukraine in exchange for 27 Russian bodies. An additional 1,200 bodies were reportedly handed over to Ukraine on June 13.