Overview
- Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters said on Oct. 23 that 1,000 bodies were transferred from Russia and will undergo examinations to confirm identities.
- Moscow characterizes the remains as Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv has previously alleged Russia sometimes tries to pass off its own dead as Ukrainian.
- Russia received 31 bodies from Ukraine in the latest handover, according to the Russian Telegram channel Astra.
- The operation was carried out by multiple Ukrainian state bodies with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
- These returns continue phased exchanges agreed during the Istanbul negotiations, after a June phase in which Ukraine reported receiving 6,057 bodies and Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said Russia took back 78.