On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine conducted a transfer of deceased soldiers, marking the first such exchange of the year between the two nations engaged in conflict.

According to State Duma representative Shamsail Saraliyev, who is part of the ruling United Russia party, Russia handed over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian troops in exchange for the bodies of 38 Russian servicemen. Saraliyev provided images showing individuals in white protective suits surrounding refrigerated trucks, alongside vehicles bearing the emblem of the International Red Cross.

The Ukrainian command responsible for managing prisoners of war confirmed the transaction and expressed gratitude to the Red Cross for its assistance.

“The repatriation procedures occurred today, resulting in the return of 1,000 bodies to Ukraine, which the Russian authorities assert are those of Ukrainian defenders,” the command noted on Telegram.

It was mentioned that law enforcement officials, together with Ukrainian forensic specialists, will now conduct the necessary procedures to identify the returned deceased.

Although the exact location of the exchange was not revealed, a photo released by the Ukrainian command depicted a road sign reading “Chernihiv,” indicating the event likely took place in northern Ukraine, close to the Belarus and Bryansk regions of Russia.

The repatriation of fallen servicemen and the exchange of POWs have emerged as some of the rare instances of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In 2025, Moscow and Kyiv managed to execute 14 exchanges, resulting in the return of 14,480 bodies to Ukraine and 391 bodies to Russia.