1,200 Fallen Soldiers Returned to Ukraine

According to the Russian side, the 1,200 bodies that were returned belong to Ukrainian citizens, including service members. The repatriation took place following agreements reached in Türkiye.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced this on June 13.

Unfortunately, there have been instances when Russia attempted to hand over the bodies of its own citizens along with fallen Ukrainian soldiers during exchanges.

“That’s why we agreed to prepare everything thoroughly — to ensure clear identification. We do not take matters concerning our soldiers and our fallen lightly. It is crucial that we receive the remains of Ukrainian citizens, not those of Russian soldiers they are trying to dispose of. Sadly, we’ve already encountered such attempts in the past,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press briefing on June 4.

The return of the bodies was made possible through the joint efforts of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other structures within Ukraine’s Security and Defense Sector.

Law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct all necessary examinations and identification procedures for the repatriated remains.

Once identified by the relevant authorities, the bodies of the defenders will be returned to their families for dignified burial and commemoration.

Talks in Türkiye

During the second round of negotiations in Türkiye on June 2, Ukraine and Russia agreed on an “all-for-all” exchange format for specific categories of prisoners of war, particularly those who are severely wounded or seriously ill.

The parties also agreed to exchange all young soldiers aged 18 to 25. In addition, an agreement was reached on the exchange of the bodies of fallen soldiers in a “6,000 for 6,000” format.

The Ukrainian delegation also handed over a list of several hundred children who the Russian Federation had unlawfully removed from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine — children whose return Ukraine is demanding.

“This issue is a fundamental priority for us. If Russia is truly committed to the peace process, the return of even half of the children on this list would be a positive signal,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated at the time.

As a result of these negotiations, three stages of prisoner exchanges have already taken place — one involving service members under the age of 25 (on June 9), and two exchanges (on June 10 and 12) involving wounded and seriously ill members of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In addition, on June 11, the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders were successfully returned.