Russia has transferred the bodies of 6,060 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv as part of ongoing humanitarian agreements between the two countries, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky confirmed on Monday. The handover followed Russia-Ukraine negotiations held in Istanbul on June 2.

According to Medinsky, Ukraine returned the bodies of 78 Russian soldiers during the exchange. “Prisoner exchanges continue. Agreements have also been reached for the exchange of severely wounded soldiers from the frontlines,” Medinsky, who also serves as Russia’s chief negotiator, stated on Telegram.

This development comes just days after Ukraine announced the repatriation of 1,200 bodies of its fallen soldiers from Russia. The transfer, part of a coordinated effort, is being conducted under agreements facilitated by Turkish mediation in Istanbul.

Ukraine’s Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said the repatriated remains will undergo forensic examination and identification by law enforcement and interior ministry experts.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently stated that Russia had been waiting for the Ukrainian side to receive the bodies and expressed hope for reciprocal actions. “There is no final understanding yet, but contact is ongoing,” Peskov said, noting that numbers were still being reconciled.

The exchange of remains is part of a broader humanitarian effort that has included prisoner swaps involving seriously ill and wounded soldiers. On June 12, both countries conducted the second phase of such an exchange.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the return of Ukrainian personnel from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Service, while Russia acknowledged that several of its soldiers had returned home and were receiving medical and psychological care in Belarus.

The first stage of this coordinated effort began on June 9 under the framework of the Istanbul agreements.