• Ukraine has repatriated 1,212 bodies of soldiers from Russia.
• The exchange follows peace talks held in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to return remains of soldiers.
• Russia confirmed the receipt of 27 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies in the negotiation process.
• The repatriation included bodies of servicemen from various conflict regions in Ukraine.
• Both countries are set to continue negotiations for further exchanges in the future.

Ukraine reported on Wednesday the successful repatriation of 1,212 fallen soldiers' bodies from Russia as part of a prisoner exchange deal reached during recent peace talks in Istanbul. This operation, coordinated by the Ukrainian government, was described as a significant success in their ongoing efforts to recover war casualties, with the bodies returning from various battlefields such as Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Kherson, along with Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had also engaged in operations, according to Reuters, AA, and South China Morning Post.

This exchange marks a continuation of the agreements made in earlier peace negotiations, where both countries consented to exchange bodies of soldiers in addition to addressing the situation of prisoners of war, particularly focusing on younger and seriously injured soldiers. Ukrainian officials emphasized the collaborative effort involving multiple state agencies and thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for their assistance in the repatriation process, according to TRT and Reuters.

Russia's chief negotiator confirmed the exchange, noting that Moscow also received 27 bodies of Russian soldiers as part of the agreement. This has established a framework for future exchanges, where negotiations are anticipated to continue, focusing on the repatriation of more prisoners and bodies, as both sides work to enhance their operational readiness for ongoing conflict, as detailed by Reuters, BBC, and AA.