KYIV: Ukraine on Thursday said it had received 1,000 bodies from Russia, which Moscow claimed were Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting in the ongoing conflict. The exchange, confirmed by both sides, represents one of the few areas of cooperation remaining between Kyiv and Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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“Today, repatriation measures took place, under which 1,000 bodies of the deceased, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian defenders, were returned to Ukraine,” Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a social media statement.
🕯🥀 The bodies (remains) of 1,000 victims, which, according to the Russian side, belong to our defenders, have been returned to Ukraine, according to the Coordination Headquarters.
Eternal honor to the fallen heroes! 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/xlzp3pATcR
— kolibri.93 (@viktorikolibri) January 29, 2026
Ukraine receives bodies of 1,000 soldiers from Russia https://t.co/2FFYZZxLIa pic.twitter.com/Epuq4uetvi
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 29, 2026
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky confirmed the exchange on Telegram, adding that Russia had received the remains of 38 killed Russian soldiers. Medinsky said the process followed agreements reached by Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul last year.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued to take a toll on civilians. Six people were killed on Thursday in central and southern Ukraine amid winter temperatures well below freezing. In Zaporizhzhia, shelling killed a 62-year-old man and two women aged 26 and 50. In Kherson, a 46-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman died, and a Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, killed an elderly woman.
Diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war have accelerated. The next round of talks is scheduled in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, with the United Arab Emirates acting as a key mediator. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the upcoming talks.
“I would like to commend the Emirati side’s efforts in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, their contribution to prisoner exchanges, and assistance in organising contacts in the United Arab Emirates,” Putin said during the meeting.
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Despite negotiations, both sides remain divided over the crucial issue of territorial control, leaving prospects for a near-term resolution uncertain.