Russia returns 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers

Moscow says Kyiv failed to instrumentality immoderate prisoners successful the latest exchange, arsenic warring continues connected the ground.

Russia has returned the bodies of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, marking 1 of the largest repatriations of remains since the warfare began much than 3 years ago.

The instrumentality connected Friday was made pursuing an statement reached during bid talks successful Istanbul past month.

However, Moscow has claimed this latest speech was one-sided, claiming that Ukraine has failed to instrumentality the bodies of its fallen soldiers.

“Today, Russia handed implicit 1,200 bodies of deceased soldiers of the Ukrainian equipped forces to Ukraine. Not a azygous 1 was handed implicit to us,” an unnamed root told Russia’s state-run TASS quality agency.

Russian statesmanlike adjutant Vladimir Medinsky besides claimed that Ukraine abruptly postponed the handover of remains and captive exchanges connected June 7, without offering a nationalist explanation.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said successful a connection connected Friday that forensic experts volition present enactment to place the remains they received, adding that the bodies were believed to beryllium those of Ukrainian subject personnel.

Earlier this week, Russia returned different 1,212 bodies and received conscionable 27 bodies of its ain troops successful return.

Despite tensions, some sides person agreed successful rule to speech up to 6,000 bodies and prioritise the merchandise of sick and severely wounded prisoners of war, arsenic good arsenic those nether the property of 25.

EU extortion for Ukrainian refugees

Meanwhile, arsenic the warfare continues betwixt Russia and Ukraine, the European Union has extended its impermanent extortion strategy for Ukrainian refugees by different year, allowing them to stay successful the bloc until March 2027.

The EU’s move, announced connected Friday, comes amid ongoing aerial raids and strikes crossed Ukraine, which person displaced millions since the commencement of Russia’s penetration successful February 2022.

More than 4.3 cardinal Ukrainians are presently registered nether the scheme, with Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic hosting the largest exile populations.

“While Russia continues to terrorise Ukrainian civilians with indiscriminate aerial strikes, the EU continues to amusement its solidarity,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s interior minister.

“We volition proceed to connection extortion for millions of Ukrainian refugees for different year.”

Fighting continues

Heavy warring continued crossed the beforehand enactment connected Friday, with caller casualties reported successful some Ukraine and Russia.

In Russia’s Belgorod region, a two-year-old lad was killed and 2 adults, including his grandmother, were wounded successful what officials said was a Ukrainian drone onslaught overnight, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it had intercepted 260 Ukrainian drones implicit the past 24 hours, portion implicit the past week, Moscow says its aerial defences downed a Neptune long-range missile, 18 JDAM guided bombs, 9 US-made HIMARS rockets, and 1,582 fixed-wing drones from Ukraine.

In Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian Governor Ivan Fedorov reported 1 idiosyncratic killed and 3 injured successful Russian shelling, portion successful Donetsk, Ukrainian Governor Vadym Filashkin said 2 civilians were killed and 5 injured crossed the region.

It comes aft the Ukrainian subject said it had struck the Rezonit electronics mill adjacent Moscow, triggering explosions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine aboriginal reported 113 Russian assaults crossed cardinal fronts, including successful Lyman, Pokrovsk, Novopavlivka and Kurakhove.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies