Ukraine has secured the return of bodies of 1,000 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, Kyiv reported on Tuesday.
The repatriation of the fallen soldiers took place under a deal reached during peace talks in Istanbul in June. The soldiers had been killed in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk, Luhansk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions and Russia’s Kursk region where Kyiv troops launched surprise incursion last August.
Five bodies are of those who died in captivity and had been on the exchange list of seriously injured prisoners of war from the Istanbul talks on June 2. The agency attributed the death of the five POWs to Russia’s delay to return them.
“The Russian side continues to delay and does not fulfill its obligations. Ukraine insists on the immediate release of all seriously ill and seriously wounded prisoners and is fighting for the return of all Ukrainian citizens,” the update says. Kremlin adviser and chief Ukraine peace negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia received 19 bodies in exchange with Ukraine in line with the Istanbul agreement. It should be noted that a similar 1,000-for-19 exchange took pace on July 17 in line with the Istanbul talks.
