Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of soldiers killed in the war on Thursday, carrying out another humanitarian transfer at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, according to Belarusian state news agency BELTA.
BELTA reported that Russia handed over 252 bodies to the Ukrainian side while receiving 23 bodies in return.
The exchange represented a transfer of remains rather than a prisoner swap. However, the brief report did not provide further information about the identities of those returned, their military units or where and when they were killed.
Moscow Hands Over 252 Bodies to Ukraine
According to BELTA, representatives from the two sides conducted the exchange at the border between Belarus and Ukraine.
The report did not specify the exact border location or provide details about the procedures used to identify and transport the remains.
Moreover, no information was immediately provided about how long the bodies had been held before Thursday’s exchange.
Ukraine received substantially more bodies than Russia during the transfer, with Moscow returning 252 remains compared with 23 handed over by Kyiv.
Details of Latest Humanitarian Exchange Remain Limited
The exchange comes as the continuing Russia-Ukraine war leaves both sides dealing with military casualties and the complex process of recovering, identifying and returning the bodies of those killed.
Such transfers allow authorities to begin or complete identification procedures and eventually return confirmed remains to relatives for burial.
Nevertheless, BELTA’s initial report provided few details beyond the number of bodies exchanged and the location of the transfer.
Neither the circumstances surrounding the deaths nor the identities of the deceased were included in the information provided.
Furthermore, the report did not indicate whether Thursday’s transfer formed part of a broader agreement covering future exchanges.
The handover therefore represents a limited humanitarian measure between Russia and Ukraine as their wider military confrontation continues.
