Russia, Ukraine swap more bodies of war dead

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more bodies of their war dead, a Kremlin aide said today, part of an agreement struck at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul in June.

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation at those peace talks, said in a statement on Telegram that Moscow had handed over the bodies of 1000 Ukrainian soldiers and had received 19 bodies of its own fallen soldiers in return.

The RIA state news agency reported, citing a source, that Russia plans to return the bodies of 3000 Ukrainian soldiers and that the exchange today was the beginning of that process.

The warring sides have carried out a series of swaps of captured troops and the remains of dead soldiers since renewing peace talks in Istanbul in May following a gap of more than three years.