Russia hands over remains of 1,000 Ukrainian service personnel, Kyiv says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An employee of Ukraine's state forensic center works with DNA-testing materials to identify remains of bodies presumed to be Ukrainian service members, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

KYIV  -  Ukraine has received the remains of 1,000 service personnel killed in the war that began with Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion during its latest exchange with Russia, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. 

More than 7,000 mostly unidentified bodies have been brought to Ukraine in recent months in multiple exchanges, a result of talks between the two sides in Istanbul earlier this year.

In a statement, Kyiv's coordinating council for prisoners of war said officials would work on identifying the bodies.

 (Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Aidan Lewis // REUTERS)