"All of them undergo identification. Because behind each one is a name, a life, a family waiting for an answer," Umerov said. "I thank everyone who daily did this difficult but necessary work. We do not stop. Ahead is the next stage: we continue the fight for the return of prisoners. We return. We remember..."The repatriation follows negotiations held in Istanbul on 2 June, where Ukraine and Russia agreed on a "6,000 for 6,000" exchange of fallen soldiers' bodies. The Ukrainian and Russian delegations also reached an agreement on an "all for all" exchange of severely wounded and young military personnel aged 18 to 25. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that of the 6,000 military bodies Russia intended to transfer to Ukraine, only 15% were identified. Since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has returned 15,801 bodies of the fallen as of 16 June. This figure includes 9,744 bodies as of May 2025, plus five stages of repatriations in June. Read also:
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