Russia has initiated a large-scale humanitarian effort to transfer over 6,000 bodies of deceased Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Ukraine, with the first batch of 1,212 bodies already delivered to the exchange area. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the transfer on June 7, sharing footage of the event.

The initiative, announced earlier on June 6, aims to return the remains of Ukrainian soldiers to their homeland.

According to Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, a representative of the Russian negotiating group, the exchange will prioritize the exchange of wounded and seriously ill personnel on an “all for all” basis, as well as individuals under 25 years of age.

The Ministry of Defense stated that the exchange will occur in four stages, with approximately 1,200 bodies transferred in each stage, ultimately totaling more than 6,000 bodies returned to Ukraine.