Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers

['Asami Terajima', 'The Kyiv Independent', 'Asami Terajima Is A Reporter At The Kyiv Independent Covering Ukrainian Military Issues', 'Front-Line Developments', 'Politics. She Is The Co-Author Of The Weekly War Notes Newsletter. She Previously Worked As A Business Reporter For The Kyiv Post Focusing On International Trade', 'Infrastructure', 'Investment', 'Energy. Originally Japan', 'Terajima Moved To Ukraine During Childhood', "Completed Her Bachelor S Degree In Business Administration In The U.S. She Is The Winner Of The Thomson Reuters Foundation'S Kurt Schork Award In International Journalism"] The Kyiv Independent 2026-01-29 10:59:13

Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Jan. 29. Russia confirmed that it had handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine under the Istanbul agreement in exchange for 38 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS reported on Jan. 29. More bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, which are often difficult for front-line units to retrieve due to Russian advances, have returned home after the peace talks began in early 2025. The Istanbul agreements refer to the 2025 Moscow-Kyiv negotiations held in Turkey, which have paved the way for Ukraine to repatriate its fallen soldiers' bodies from Russia. The first repatriation under the Istanbul Agreements took place in June, and thousands of bodies have been returned since then.