Moscow wailing to repatriate additional remains of Ukrainian troops

(MENAFN) Russia has announced it is prepared to return the remains of over 2,200 more Ukrainian soldiers, following the recent completion of a major repatriation initiative. The move comes after Moscow fulfilled its commitment—made during June talks in Istanbul—to transfer 6,060 bodies of deceased Ukrainian troops as a humanitarian gesture.

On Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the final group of remains under the initial agreement had been handed over to Kiev. In the same statement, the ministry said it still holds the remains of 2,239 Ukrainian soldiers and is ready to return them.

As part of a new exchange conducted on Monday, Russia handed over 1,248 bodies and received the remains of 51 Russian servicemen. In total, Moscow has now received 76 bodies from Ukraine.

An earlier attempt to begin the repatriation was delayed after Ukrainian officials failed to appear at the designated handover point on the Belarus-Ukraine border. Kiev claimed the transfer date had not been agreed upon and accused Moscow of politicizing the humanitarian issue.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova sharply criticized Ukraine’s delay, accusing President Vladimir Zelensky’s government of neglecting its fallen soldiers and engaging in “genocide against its own people.” Exchanges resumed later in the week, with several transfers successfully completed since.

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