MOSCOW

Russia announced on Thursday that another round of exchange of bodies of fallen soldiers was held with Ukraine under the recent Istanbul agreements.

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukraine, said on Telegram that Moscow transferred 1,000 more bodies to Ukraine and got back 19 in return.

"Continuing the implementation of the Istanbul agreements, another 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers were handed over to Ukraine today. We received the remains of 19 of our fallen fighters. May they rest in peace on their native soil," he said.

The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War later confirmed the exchange without specifying the number of fallen soldiers transferred to Russia.

"The bodies of 1,000 deceased have been returned to Ukraine under the Istanbul Agreements," it said on Telegram.

Law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Interior Ministry, will conduct all the necessary examinations and identify the repatriated bodies, it added.

"We express our gratitude for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross," it said.

So far, two rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks have been held in the Turkish metropolis, where the sides managed to reach a number of important humanitarian agreements.

Preparations for a third session are said to be underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he asked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to provide an opportunity to meet in Istanbul again.

Türkiye has advocated for a negotiated settlement to the war from its very beginning, including offering to host peace talks on Turkish soil for Russia and Ukraine, both of which it enjoys good relations with.