Ukraine receives 1200 soldiers' bodies from Russia
Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Ukrainian officials say.
Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that Russia returned 1200 bodies and "according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel".
The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the country's Security Service, the Interior Ministry and other government agencies.
Forensic experts will now work to identify the remains, the statement said.
The handover - the second to take place this week - was brokered by the International Red Cross, the staff responsible for prisoner of war issues in Kyiv said.
The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Earlier this week, Russia returned 1212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and received 27 bodies of its own killed troops.
The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul that took place June 2.
Russia and Ukraine conducted a POW swap on Thursday that included severely wounded and gravely ill captives, although the sides did not report the numbers.
In addition to agreeing to exchange POWs and bodies of fallen soldiers, the two sides traded memorandums at the talks that set out conditions for a ceasefire.
However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as non-starters make any quick deal unlikely.
Despite discussions of a potential truce in the war, Russian forces in recent days have launched waves of drones and missiles at Ukraine, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.
Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia fired 55 Shahed and decoy drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The air force said air defences neutralised 43 drones.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its air defences downed 125 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and the annexed Crimea region late on Thursday and early on Friday.
with DPA
Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Ukrainian officials say.
Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that Russia returned 1200 bodies and "according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel".
The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the country's Security Service, the Interior Ministry and other government agencies.
Forensic experts will now work to identify the remains, the statement said.
The handover - the second to take place this week - was brokered by the International Red Cross, the staff responsible for prisoner of war issues in Kyiv said.
The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Earlier this week, Russia returned 1212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and received 27 bodies of its own killed troops.
The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul that took place June 2.
Russia and Ukraine conducted a POW swap on Thursday that included severely wounded and gravely ill captives, although the sides did not report the numbers.
In addition to agreeing to exchange POWs and bodies of fallen soldiers, the two sides traded memorandums at the talks that set out conditions for a ceasefire.
However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as non-starters make any quick deal unlikely.
Despite discussions of a potential truce in the war, Russian forces in recent days have launched waves of drones and missiles at Ukraine, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.
Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia fired 55 Shahed and decoy drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The air force said air defences neutralised 43 drones.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its air defences downed 125 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and the annexed Crimea region late on Thursday and early on Friday.
with DPA
Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Ukrainian officials say.
Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that Russia returned 1200 bodies and "according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel".
The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the country's Security Service, the Interior Ministry and other government agencies.
Forensic experts will now work to identify the remains, the statement said.
The handover - the second to take place this week - was brokered by the International Red Cross, the staff responsible for prisoner of war issues in Kyiv said.
The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Earlier this week, Russia returned 1212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and received 27 bodies of its own killed troops.
The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul that took place June 2.
Russia and Ukraine conducted a POW swap on Thursday that included severely wounded and gravely ill captives, although the sides did not report the numbers.
In addition to agreeing to exchange POWs and bodies of fallen soldiers, the two sides traded memorandums at the talks that set out conditions for a ceasefire.
However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as non-starters make any quick deal unlikely.
Despite discussions of a potential truce in the war, Russian forces in recent days have launched waves of drones and missiles at Ukraine, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.
Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia fired 55 Shahed and decoy drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The air force said air defences neutralised 43 drones.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its air defences downed 125 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and the annexed Crimea region late on Thursday and early on Friday.
with DPA
Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Ukrainian officials say.
Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that Russia returned 1200 bodies and "according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel".
The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the country's Security Service, the Interior Ministry and other government agencies.
Forensic experts will now work to identify the remains, the statement said.
The handover - the second to take place this week - was brokered by the International Red Cross, the staff responsible for prisoner of war issues in Kyiv said.
The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Earlier this week, Russia returned 1212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and received 27 bodies of its own killed troops.
The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul that took place June 2.
Russia and Ukraine conducted a POW swap on Thursday that included severely wounded and gravely ill captives, although the sides did not report the numbers.
In addition to agreeing to exchange POWs and bodies of fallen soldiers, the two sides traded memorandums at the talks that set out conditions for a ceasefire.
However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as non-starters make any quick deal unlikely.
Despite discussions of a potential truce in the war, Russian forces in recent days have launched waves of drones and missiles at Ukraine, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.
Ukraine's air force said on Friday that Russia fired 55 Shahed and decoy drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The air force said air defences neutralised 43 drones.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its air defences downed 125 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and the annexed Crimea region late on Thursday and early on Friday.
with DPA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canberra Times
5 hours ago
- Canberra Times
Zelensky says 'Ayatollah Putin' wants to wage war
Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace - Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Zelensky says 'Ayatollah Putin' wants to wage war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being uninterested in peace and acting like the authoritarian ruler of Iran, calling him 'Ayatollah Putin.' His comments came after Putin said that in his view, the whole of Ukraine was 'ours' and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy. The Ukrainian leader also said that despite Putin's assertions at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, which ended on Friday, the Russian economy is declining and he would like to push it further down. "The Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more," he said in Kiev. "Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries." Putin had reiterated Russia's claim to Ukraine at the forum and said he viewed Russians and Ukrainians as one people. He also said Russia had a saying -"Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Friday's statements as evidence of Russian "disdain" for US peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, "he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation," Sybiha said. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and President Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace - Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia. "Russia wants to wage war," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. The continued threats coming from Russia mean that "the pressure the world is applying isn't hurting them enough yet." Zelenskiy said commanders had discussed action in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and that Russia had "various plans and intentions, completely mad as always. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region." Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in the Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being uninterested in peace and acting like the authoritarian ruler of Iran, calling him 'Ayatollah Putin.' His comments came after Putin said that in his view, the whole of Ukraine was 'ours' and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy. The Ukrainian leader also said that despite Putin's assertions at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, which ended on Friday, the Russian economy is declining and he would like to push it further down. "The Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more," he said in Kiev. "Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries." Putin had reiterated Russia's claim to Ukraine at the forum and said he viewed Russians and Ukrainians as one people. He also said Russia had a saying -"Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Friday's statements as evidence of Russian "disdain" for US peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, "he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation," Sybiha said. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and President Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace - Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia. "Russia wants to wage war," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. The continued threats coming from Russia mean that "the pressure the world is applying isn't hurting them enough yet." Zelenskiy said commanders had discussed action in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and that Russia had "various plans and intentions, completely mad as always. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region." Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in the Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being uninterested in peace and acting like the authoritarian ruler of Iran, calling him 'Ayatollah Putin.' His comments came after Putin said that in his view, the whole of Ukraine was 'ours' and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy. The Ukrainian leader also said that despite Putin's assertions at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, which ended on Friday, the Russian economy is declining and he would like to push it further down. "The Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more," he said in Kiev. "Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries." Putin had reiterated Russia's claim to Ukraine at the forum and said he viewed Russians and Ukrainians as one people. He also said Russia had a saying -"Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Friday's statements as evidence of Russian "disdain" for US peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, "he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation," Sybiha said. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and President Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace - Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia. "Russia wants to wage war," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. The continued threats coming from Russia mean that "the pressure the world is applying isn't hurting them enough yet." Zelenskiy said commanders had discussed action in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and that Russia had "various plans and intentions, completely mad as always. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region." Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in the Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being uninterested in peace and acting like the authoritarian ruler of Iran, calling him 'Ayatollah Putin.' His comments came after Putin said that in his view, the whole of Ukraine was 'ours' and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy. The Ukrainian leader also said that despite Putin's assertions at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, which ended on Friday, the Russian economy is declining and he would like to push it further down. "The Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more," he said in Kiev. "Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries." Putin had reiterated Russia's claim to Ukraine at the forum and said he viewed Russians and Ukrainians as one people. He also said Russia had a saying -"Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Friday's statements as evidence of Russian "disdain" for US peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, "he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation," Sybiha said. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and President Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace - Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia. "Russia wants to wage war," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. The continued threats coming from Russia mean that "the pressure the world is applying isn't hurting them enough yet." Zelenskiy said commanders had discussed action in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and that Russia had "various plans and intentions, completely mad as always. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region." Putin said Russian forces were carving out a buffer zone in the Sumy region in order to protect Russian territory.
The Age
7 hours ago
- The Age
Putin says ‘the whole of Ukraine is ours'
St Petersburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in his view, the whole of Ukraine was 'ours' and cautioned that advancing Russian forces could take the Ukrainian city of Sumy as part of a bid to carve out a buffer zone along the border. Ukraine's foreign minister denounced the statements as evidence of Russian 'disdain' for US peace efforts and said Moscow was bent on seizing more territory and killing more Ukrainians. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, more than 99 per cent of the Luhansk region, over 70 per cent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and fragments of the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Asked about fresh Russian advances, Putin told the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people and 'in that sense, the whole of Ukraine is ours'. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea are illegal, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected the notion that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. He has also said that Putin's terms for peace are akin to capitulation. Loading Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, said on Friday (Saturday AEST) he was not questioning Ukraine's independence or its people's striving for sovereignty, but he underscored that when Ukraine declared independence as the Soviet Union fell in 1991 it had also declared its neutrality. Putin said Moscow wanted Ukraine to accept the reality on the ground if there was to be a chance of peace – Russia's shorthand for the reality of Russia's control over a chunk of Ukrainian territory bigger than the US state of Virginia.
