Ukraine has received the bodies of 1,212 of its fallen soldiers from Russia after days of dispute, the agency dealing with prisoners of war in Kiev said on Wednesday.
The soldiers died in battles in Russia’s Kursk region and the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, the agency said.
Russia has for days accused Ukraine of failing to accept the remains, and called on Kiev to comply with agreements reached between the warring parties in talks in Istanbul at the beginning of the month.
Russia transported the bodies ready for handover over the weekend in what it termed a “humanitarian action,’’ while Ukraine said that no agreement on a handover date had been reached.
The Istanbul talks provided for the return of the remains of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers from Russia to Ukraine.
It was not clear whether Russia would also receive the remains of its soldiers killed in Ukraine. (dpa/NAN)
