"Today, repatriation operations were carried out. 1,003 bodies, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian soldiers, have been returned to Ukraine," the agency writes on Telegram.
According to Russia, the bodies belong to Ukrainian soldiers who were killed in the war. The bodies are now being identified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's advisor Vladimir Medinsky confirms the exchange and states on Telegram that the Russian side had received the remains of 26 dead Russian soldiers.
The exchange of prisoners of war and remains of dead soldiers is one of the few areas where Ukraine and Russia have cooperated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
