Moscow: Russia on Thursday handed over to Ukraine the remains of 1,000 soldiers killed in the war, under an agreement reached during peace talks last month in Istanbul, Turkey.
According to Qatar News Agency, Russian negotiator and Kremlin advisor, Vladimir Medinsky, announced in a statement on Telegram that following the agreements reached in Istanbul, Ukraine received an additional 1,000 bodies of soldiers killed in the war. He noted that in return, Kyiv handed over the remains of more than 19 Russian soldiers.
Two rounds of talks between Moscow and Kyiv took place in Istanbul in May and June but failed to achieve any breakthrough to end the war. However, the two countries agreed to release hundreds of prisoners on each side and return the bodies of fighters.
The exchange of remains of dead and prisoners of war is one of the few areas where Russia and Ukraine have cooperated since the outbreak of war between them in February 2022, and it is the only tangible outcome of the Istanbul negotiations.