Russia and Ukraine carried out an exchange of soldiers’ remains at the Novaya Guta border crossing in Belarus on Thursday. Russia handed over 252 remains to Ukrainian authorities, while Ukraine returned 23 remains to Russia.
Russian State Duma lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev announced that the exchange took place at the border crossing in Belarus. Belarus continued its humanitarian mission.
Identification to be carried out in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said law enforcement agencies would work to identify the 252 remains brought into the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross also supported the exchange.
The Ukrainian army said search teams were continuing their work despite the threat of drone attacks, remotely laid mines and shelling.
Previous exchange took place on August 13
The return of remains and exchanges of prisoners of war are among the limited direct communication channels between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
The previous exchange took place on August 13, when Russia received the remains of 24 soldiers and Ukraine received the remains of 261 soldiers.