Kyiv confirmed on Friday that the bodies of 909 Ukrainian soldiers who died in combat with Russian forces have been returned to Ukraine. This exchange, the second of its kind in three weeks, highlights a rare area of cooperation between the two countries amid the ongoing war that began in 2022.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, a Ukrainian government agency, shared the update on social media, detailing the return of the fallen defenders. Russia, however, does not typically disclose information on the number of casualties from its side or announce the return of its fallen soldiers. Nevertheless, Russian media outlets and military bloggers reported that 41 Russian soldiers’ bodies had been repatriated, citing Shamsail Saraliev, a member of Russia’s parliamentary committee overseeing military matters.
The repatriation of the fallen soldiers comes amid stalled efforts by the United States and its allies to mediate a ceasefire between the two warring sides. The death toll continues to rise on both sides, with estimates suggesting tens of thousands of casualties. However, neither country has provided consistent updates on their losses.
Earlier this year, in mid-February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, with approximately 380,000 injured. In contrast, Russia has not provided official updates on its casualties since the fall of 2022, when it reported fewer than 6,000 killed.
Recent investigations by Mediazona and the BBC’s Russian service have identified the names of roughly 100,000 Russian soldiers who have died since the conflict began, using publicly available sources to compile the information.
