Russia and Ukraine Exchange Over 1,000 Fallen Soldiers as Talks Continue
Russia says it has returned the bodies of 1,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and received the remains of 35 Russian soldiers in return. The exchange was confirmed by a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Shortly after Russia’s announcement, Ukrainian officials confirmed they had received the bodies, saying that, based on information provided by Russia, the remains were believed to belong to Ukrainian defenders.
This exchange happened as Ukraine’s top negotiator met envoys of US President Donald Trump in Geneva to discuss economic plans for rebuilding Ukraine after the war. Preparations were also underway for another round of US-backed peace talks, expected to include representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.
Just hours before the Geneva meeting, Ukraine reported a large-scale Russian attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across several regions, leaving many people injured.
The exchange of bodies follows an agreement reached during talks held in Istanbul in June 2025. Under that deal, both sides agreed to return up to 6,000 bodies each, along with sick, severely wounded, and young prisoners of war.
Since the war began in February 2022, both Russia and Ukraine have carried out multiple exchanges of fallen soldiers. However, neither side gives full details of its own losses, while regularly estimating the other’s.
President Zelensky has recently acknowledged that about 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in combat, though outside observers believe the true number is higher. Independent counts based on public records suggest far more deaths on the Russian side, though exact figures remain unclear.
Weekly losses of Russian military personnel since the beginning of the war
Despite this, Russia has returned more bodies overall than it has received. The reason for this imbalance has not been clearly explained. One possible reason is that Russian forces, often advancing on the battlefield, recover more bodies from contested areas.
Ahead of the Geneva discussions, Zelensky said he spoke by phone with Trump and expressed hope that the talks would soon move to a meeting between national leaders. He said this step-by-step approach was the only way to resolve difficult issues and end the war.
Putin has so far refused to meet Zelensky, arguing that Ukraine’s president is no longer legitimate because elections have not been held since his term expired. Ukraine maintains that elections cannot take place under martial law, which was imposed after Russia’s invasion.
