Ukraine Says Received 501 Bodies From Russia

Ukraine has received 501 bodies from Russia, believed to be those of fallen soldiers, authorities said Thursday, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring neighbors.

"As a result of repatriation efforts, 501 bodies of the deceased have been returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, may belong to Ukrainian servicemen," Kyiv's prisoners of war centre said.

The Red Cross helped facilitate the exchange, it added.

Investigators and forensic experts will now identify the repatriated remains, the Ukrainian body said.

Russia received the bodies of 31 soldiers, Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev told RBC.

Since Russia's 2022 invasion, exchanges of prisoners and the remains of fallen fighters have been one of the few areas of contact between Moscow and Kyiv.