Ukraine announced on Wednesday that Russia returned the bodies of 1,212 soldiers who lost their lives fighting against the Moscow invasion, which meant a significant step in humanitarian cooperation between the two nations. This repatriation was part of an agreement achieved during the recent peace negotiations, which took place last week in Istanbul, where both parties also agreed on the prisoner stock exchanges.
The Ukrainian government confirmed that the remains include soldiers who have died in key conflict zones such as Charkiv, Lugansk, Doněk, Zeporizzhia and Kerson, as well as victims from the Ukrainian contrafensives in the Russian course.
Ukrainian forensic experts are now working quickly to identify the deceased.
Despite this progress, two rounds of interviews in Istanbul were unable to cause a breakthrough at the end of the war, with the swaps of prisoners and the return of fallen soldiers’ bodies remains the only specific results.
The tension persists, with Moscow accusing Kyiv of the delay of the collection of bodies, which Russia claimed to have been held in chilled trucks near the border since Saturday.
Russia had previously undertook to unilaterally return the remains of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers, while Kiev claimed that this process should be part of the exchange.
Both sides began extensive replacing prisoners, with the initial phase completed at the beginning of this week.
Peace remains elusive because Russia continues to reject the calls to an unconditional ceasefire and requires Ukraine to pass on a significant territory and leave its ambition to join NATO.
Russia – War Drone Ukraine continues
Russian forces launched a new attack on drones in Ukraine on Wednesday, killed three people and injured 64 others, Ukrainian officials said.
One of the most difficult areas was the city of Charkiv in northeastern Ukraine, where 17 offensive drones hit two residential districts, said Mayor of Ihor Terekhov. Emergency crews, city workers and volunteers worked overnight to extinguish fires, rescue residents from burning houses and restore gas, electricity and water services.
“These are ordinary places of peace life – those that should never focus on,” Terekhov wrote on a telegram.
According to the regional head Charkiv Synihubov, three people were confirmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelskyy said in his statement that 64 people were injured and repeated his calls for greater international pressure on Moscow.
(Tagstotranslate) Ukraine
