Russia and Ukraine have carried out a new exchange of fallen soldiers, marking the first such transfer since February, according to officials on both sides.

Russian parliamentary deputy Shamsail Saraliev said Thursday that Ukraine received the remains of 1,000 soldiers, while Russia took back 41 bodies.

Mr Saraliev, who oversaw matters related to what Moscow terms its “special military operation,” confirmed the exchange in remarks to a Russian news outlet.

Ukrainian authorities also acknowledged the transfer.

The government’s prisoner-of-war coordination office in Kyiv said via Telegram that 1,000 bodies had been returned and expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for facilitating the process.

Officials in Kyiv said forensic specialists would now work to identify the remains, including verifying that no Russian soldiers were mistakenly included.

“After identification, the bodies will be handed over to families for dignified burial,” the agency said.

Exchanges of fallen soldiers have continued periodically throughout the conflict.

Ukrainian officials report that more than 15,000 bodies were repatriated to the country last year alone, while Russia received significantly fewer in return.

The disparity reflects conditions on the battlefield, where advancing Russian forces have at times made it difficult for Ukrainian troops to recover their dead.

Ukraine has been resisting Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year, with continued support from Western allies. 

(dpa/NAN)