On June 16, 2025, the Russian Defense Ministry announced its readiness to hand over to Ukraine the remains of 2239 servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces killed in combat. According to the ministry, this step is part of a humanitarian mission implemented within the framework of the agreements reached at the talks in Istanbul on June 2. Russia has previously handed over 6060 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, including a batch of 1248 bodies handed over on Monday. The new batch in question will be the next stage in the implementation of the Istanbul agreements aimed at returning the remains of the dead to their families.

The repatriation process began in early June, when the Russian side announced its intention to hand over more than 6000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen. On June 8, the first batch of 1212 bodies was delivered to the exchange area, but the Ukrainian side did not confirm its readiness to receive them, which caused temporary delays. Nevertheless, as noted by Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, a member of the Russian negotiating team, all the transferred remains have been identified by their clothing and location of discovery, and many of them have been identified.

The transfer of bodies is taking place against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities. Russian troops are conducting offensive operations in several areas, including Kharkiv and Donetsk, causing significant losses to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in manpower and equipment. According to the department, in the last 24 hours alone, the enemy has lost hundreds of servicemen in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. These circumstances make the repatriation process particularly difficult, as it requires coordination between the parties to the conflict and compliance with humanitarian norms.