Russia and Ukraine have conducted a significant exchange of fallen servicemen, with Moscow handing over 909 Ukrainian bodies in return for the remains of 34 Russian soldiers, according to Russian MP Shamsail Saraliev, who serves on the parliamentary commission overseeing the military campaign.
The operation took place under the coordination of both nations' defense ministries and involved the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the exchange, though it declined to specify how many Russian remains were returned.
This swap follows a pattern of monthly exchanges between the two warring states. Previous swaps include:
January 2025: 757 Ukrainian bodies for 49 Russian soldiers
February 2025: 757 Ukrainians for 45 Russians
March 2025: 909 Ukrainians for 43 Russians, including eight civilians
April 2025: 909 Ukrainians for 41 Russian servicemen
According to Russian war correspondent Aleksandr Kots, many of the Ukrainian remains recovered in recent exchanges belong to soldiers killed during Ukraine’s failed offensive into Russia’s Kursk Region. On April 26, President Vladimir Putin announced the full liberation of that region, reporting over 76,000 Ukrainian casualties during the campaign.
The remains exchange comes as Moscow and Kiev engage in tentative renewed peace efforts. Delegations from both nations met at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Friday, marking the first direct negotiations in over three years.
Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to attend without Russian President Vladimir Putin present, both sides agreed on a future meeting and an ambitious plan to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, the largest swap to date. This development was confirmed by both Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
While no ceasefire agreement was finalized, these regular body exchanges and humanitarian arrangements represent rare, symbolic acts of cooperation amid an otherwise frozen conflict. They allow both sides to demonstrate respect for their fallen and offer closure to grieving families while maintaining a channel of communication that could be vital for future negotiations.
Kiev and Moscow's continued cooperation in such sensitive exchanges — particularly under the observation of the Red Cross — also reflects a degree of mutual recognition of wartime norms, even as both capitals remain deeply entrenched in military and political confrontation.