Russia and Ukraine carried out a major repatriation of fallen service members on Thursday, with Moscow handing over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for 41 Russian bodies.
The figures were disclosed to the RBC news website by Shamsail Saraliyev, a State Duma lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party and member of the parliamentary coordination group overseeing the conflict.
Ukraine has since confirmed the transfer, marking the third such exchange this year following similar handovers in January and February.
Footage released by the state-run TASS news agency showed personnel in protective suits transferring body bags between two trucks at a designated border point.
The repatriation of bodies and the exchange of prisoners remain the only tangible successes of U.S.-brokered talks between the two nations, though these humanitarian handovers had taken place even before peace negotiations began last year.
The International Committee of the Red Cross had said last month that it was working to facilitate the exchange of roughly 1,000 bodies per month.
Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, thousands of remains have been returned to their respective home countries for burial.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova said Russia and Ukraine are nearing a final agreement on a significant prisoner-of-war exchange.
According to Moskalkova, the deal is expected to be finalized on the eve of Orthodox Easter on April 12.
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