Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said the repatriation of fallen Ukrainian soldiers will begin next week as scheduled, rejecting Russian claims of delay and accusing Moscow of staging a propaganda stunt.
“Everything is proceeding as planned,” Budanov wrote on Telegram, noting that all relevant parties were informed in advance. He called the Russian narrative a “dirty information campaign.”
The return of wounded soldiers, prisoners, and up to 12,000 war dead was the only concrete outcome of the second round of peace talks held in Istanbul on 2 June. While Russia claims to have delivered 1,212 Ukrainian bodies to the designated site for exchange, Ukraine says no specific handover date had been set.
Russia pressures, Ukraine pushes back
Over the weekend, Russian officials including Vladimir Medinsky, a top aide to President Putin, and General Alexander Zorin accused Ukraine of stalling the exchange. Zorin said Russia was waiting for Kyiv’s confirmation and suggested the transfer may occur next week — a timeline consistent with Budanov’s statement.
“Some Russian propagandists are cynically exploiting human grief — grief they themselves caused,” Budanov said, reaffirming Ukraine’s commitment to the agreed terms and rejecting what he called unilateral pressure from Moscow.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War also denied that a final date had been confirmed. The agency accused Russia of manipulation and urged an end to what it called “dirty games” surrounding the humanitarian exchange.
