Ukraine and Russia again exchange bodies of fallen

WorldPolitics
18 Jun 2026 • 10:21 PM MYT
DPA International
DPA International

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Image from: Ukraine and Russia again exchange bodies of fallen
A view of a truck carrying bodies of servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (is associated with: «Ukraine and Russia again exchange bodies of fallen») Dmitry Radchenko/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa

Moscow and Kiev have again exchanged bodies of the fallen in their four-year war, the Ukrainian authorities reported on Thursday.

Ukraine received 522 bodies. The Russians received 33 bodies, according to state news agencies.

Russia has now returned the remains of more than 20,000 Ukrainians since the beginning of 2025, while receiving more than 600 of its own.

The Ukrainian army has been unable to recover the bodies of its own soldiers as a result of the slow but steady advance of Russian forces.

Both sides keep the figures on their losses secret. Estimates put Ukrainian losses at 190,000 fallen and missing, while the figure on the Russian side is put at more than 350,000.

The United Nations has estimated the number of civilians killed by May this year at a little more than 16,100.

Ukraine has been warding off a Russian full-scale invasion since February 2022.