Russia and Ukraine exchange bodies of fallen soldiers again

Today, July 16, another exchange of bodies of soldiers killed in the war took place between Russia and Ukraine. This was reported by The Moscow Times.

It is reported that, Russia handed over to Ukraine the bodies of 501 fallen soldiers. In turn, Ukraine returned the bodies of 31 soldiers to Russia. The exchange of bodies was organized in an area near the border with Belarus.

So far, Ukrainian officials have not issued an official statement regarding this exchange. At the same time, the Russian side stated that this process is the 13th humanitarian exchange carried out since the beginning of 2026.

Recall that since Russia launched a full-scale military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the return of bodies of fallen soldiers and the exchange of prisoners of war remain one of the few areas of humanitarian cooperation maintained between the two countries.

Expertsnote that such exchanges are of great importance in terms of handing over the bodies of the deceased to their relatives and adhering to humanitarian principles, despite the ongoing war.