Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 29, 2026
1 min readLast updated: January 29, 2026
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Russia and Ukraine exchanged war dead, with Russia returning 1,000 Ukrainian bodies and Ukraine 38 Russian. This regular practice allows families to bury their loved ones.
MOSCOW/KYIV, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine said on Thursday that they had carried out the latest exchange of their war dead, a regular practice designed to allow relatives of those killed on the battlefield to bury their loved ones.
Russia handed Ukraine 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, the two countries said in statements. Kyiv had handed Moscow the bodies of 38 Russian soldiers, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said.
Medinsky posted an image on Telegram of the exchange showing white refrigerated trucks parked on a snow-covered area next to a wood with people clad in white biohazard suits standing around.
Ukraine's coordination centre for prisoner exchanges confirmed an exchange of bodies had taken place, saying on Telegram that Russia had handed Kyiv 1,000 bodies which Moscow claimed belonged to Ukrainian soldiers.
While Kyiv and Moscow continue regular exchanges of their war dead, the last time they exchanged prisoners of war was in October 2025. Both sides accuse each other of stalling new prisoner exchanges.
(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn)
A war dead exchange is a process where opposing sides in a conflict return the bodies of their fallen soldiers to allow for proper burial by their families.
A coordination centre is an organization or facility that manages and facilitates operations, such as exchanges or negotiations, often during conflicts or humanitarian efforts.
Confirming exchanges of war dead is significant as it provides closure to families and maintains a level of humanity amidst conflict.
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