**Ukraine Receives 1,245 Bodies of Fallen Soldiers from Russia**
In a significant development, Ukraine has received another 1,245 bodies of its soldiers killed in the war with Russia. This marks the final stage of the repatriation of remains agreed upon at talks in Istanbul, according to Ukrainian officials.
The handover of the soldiers’ remains is part of the agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine during their second round of talks in Istanbul earlier this month. Russian Defence Ministry spokespersons said that Moscow had handed back the bodies of 6,060 Ukrainian servicemen, while Ukrainian officials confirmed receiving 6,057 bodies. However, there was no immediate explanation available on the discrepancy in numbers.
This marks one of the largest returns of war dead since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. The repatriation process began last week, and Ukraine has managed to bring back over 6,000 bodies. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that today’s handover marked the final stage of this process.
**Russia Ready to Hand Over More Bodies**
According to Russian Defence Ministry spokespersons, Moscow is ready to hand over another 2,239 bodies to Ukraine. This indicates a continued willingness on Russia’s part to return the remains of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the conflict.
**Exchange of Prisoners Still Ongoing**
While the repatriation of war dead marks an important step forward, both Ukraine and Russia said that the process of exchanging prisoners of war was still ongoing. Ukrainian Defence Minister Umerov emphasized that this process would continue, with a focus on bringing back all Ukrainian prisoners held by Russian forces.
**Broader Context**
The agreements on exchanging POWs were the only concrete result during the talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul. Despite these developments, both sides remain far apart in their vision on how to end the war, and they also failed to agree on a ceasefire. The ongoing conflict has resulted in thousands of casualties and widespread human suffering.
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