Ukraine: Russia stages provocation over return of fallen Ukrainian soldiers

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs and Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported the information.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters position

“Today’s statements by the Russian side do not correspond to the truth or to prior agreements, neither regarding the exchange of prisoners nor the repatriation of bodies,” Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters emphasized.

At the same time, they confirmed that over the past week, “teams from both sides have worked on two issues — the repatriation of fallen servicemen and the exchange of prisoners.”

“As for the prisoner exchange, Ukraine submitted lists compiled according to clearly defined categories agreed upon during negotiations in Istanbul: severely wounded, seriously ill, according to the ‘all for all’ formula, and young servicemen. The Russian side submitted different lists that did not match the agreed approach. Ukraine provided its comments, and the next step is currently expected from the Russian side,” the Coordination Headquarters explained.

As for the return of the bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters stated that Russia resorted to a provocation.

“A repatriation agreement was indeed reached. However, no date was agreed upon. Instead of following the agreed procedure, the Russian side took unilateral actions that were not coordinated as part of the joint process,” the Coordination Headquarters said.

“Unfortunately, instead of constructive dialogue, we are again facing manipulations and attempts to exploit sensitive humanitarian issues for informational purposes. We are focused on real results — returning our prisoners and the bodies of the fallen — and are ready to continue working within the agreed framework. We call on the Russian side to stop playing dirty games, return to constructive cooperation, and fulfill the agreement in the coming days,” the statement concluded.

Defense Ministry's statement

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in turn, called on the Russian Federation “not to create artificial obstacles and false statements in order not to return Ukrainian prisoners and not to take their prisoners to Russia.”

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine urged Russia not to create artificial obstacles and false statements to avoid returning Ukrainian prisoners and to stop taking their prisoners to Russia.

“In Istanbul, Russia made a clear promise — to begin exchanging prisoners by specified categories (severely wounded, wounded born after 2000) and to start the phased repatriation of bodies — Russian to Russia, Ukrainian to Ukraine. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side has faced repeated attempts to renegotiate the agreements after the fact. If Russia now refuses what was promised in Istanbul, it again raises questions about the level and capability of the Russian negotiation team,” the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said.

“The agreements reached must be implemented exactly as discussed in Istanbul and during subsequent technical consultations,” the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine concluded.

Provocation explained

The head of the Russian negotiation team, Volodymyr Medinsky (who himself is from the Ukrainian city of Smila) stated on Saturday, June 7, 2025, that Ukraine allegedly unilaterally postponed the prisoner exchange, reports RBC-Ukraine.

According to Medinsky, the Russian side supposedly delivered 1,212 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to the exchange area yesterday, while the remaining 6,000 bodies are still en route. The Russians also allegedly handed over the first list of 640 wounded, seriously ill, and young prisoners to Ukraine to start the exchange.

“However, the Ukrainian side unexpectedly postponed the acceptance of bodies and the prisoner exchange indefinitely,” Medinsky said.