Russia states readiness to hand over additional Ukrinain soldiers

(MENAFN) Russia has expressed readiness to hand over the remains of an additional 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers, contingent upon Kiev’s agreement to accept them, according to Moscow’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky.

To date, Russia has returned 6,060 sets of Ukrainian remains, while Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 79 Russian soldiers. This exchange was part of the latest direct talks held in Türkiye earlier this month. Medinsky’s Ukrainian counterpart, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, had previously indicated that Ukraine planned to return a matching number of Russian fallen.

The exchange faced challenges after Ukraine reportedly declined to accept the first transfer on June 7, accusing Russia of moving too quickly. Despite this, the exchange resumed the next day and continued over the following week.

“About 3,000 [bodies] are ready for transfer, if the [Ukrainian authorities] are willing to accept them,” Medinsky said Friday. He added that Russian forces are prepared to proceed so families can properly identify their loved ones and perform Christian burial rites.

Medinsky also addressed Kyiv’s claim that a Russian soldier’s body was mistakenly included among the Ukrainian remains. He clarified that the incident took place during a February exchange, which Ukraine had acknowledged at the time, and noted that Moscow is investigating the matter.

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