Ukraine receives the remains of 528 soldiers from Russia

Istanbul (ANTARA) - Russia has handed over the remains of 528 soldiers to Ukraine, announced by the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Saturday.

According to authorities, the remains, which Russia says may belong to Ukrainian military personnel, were returned as part of a repatriation effort.

Investigators and forensic experts will work to identify the victims, according to a statement posted on the Facebook social media platform.

Earlier on Friday (May 15), Russian news agency Tass, citing sources, reported that Russia and Ukraine had exchanged the remains of soldiers, with Russia handing over 526 remains and receiving 41 remains.

However, Russia has not made an official statement regarding the exchange of remains.

Previously in April, Russia said it had handed over 1,000 remains of soldiers to Ukraine, while Ukraine handed over 41 remains. Ukraine confirmed that it had received 1,000 remains, but did not specify how many remains were handed over to Russia.

Meanwhile, on February 2, 2026, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that since June 2025, more than 12,000 remains had been handed over to Ukraine, while Russia had received more than 200 remains of its soldiers.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that 17 rounds of exchanges of prisoners of war and detainees between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United Arab Emirates in 2024 and 2025, had resulted in the release of more than 4,000 people.