Russia and Ukraine have conducted a further exchange of fallen soldiers’ remains, with Kyiv receiving 501 bodies and Moscow taking custody of 31, according to statements from both sides. The transfer took place at the Novaya Guta border checkpoint in Belarus’s Gomel region, with Minsk providing what it described as a humanitarian corridor. Ukraine’s Coordination Centre for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the receipt of 501 sets of remains, which it said “may belong to Ukrainian servicemen,” and noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) assisted in facilitating the process. Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev, a member of the parliamentary group overseeing the “special military operation,” provided the corresponding figure for Russian returnees.

The exchange continues a pattern of highly asymmetric handovers. On 18 June, Ukraine received 522 bodies while Russia took 33; on 15 May, the split was 526 to 41; and on 9 April, 1,000 to 41. According to data compiled by Ukrainian authorities, since the start of 2026 Russia has transferred more than 4,000 remains to Ukraine across six exchanges, while Ukraine has returned just over 100 to Russia. For the full year 2025, Kyiv received the remains of more than 14,000 soldiers, whereas Moscow took custody of fewer than 400. Viewed from Western capitals, the imbalance reflects the grinding attritional character of the war and the heavy toll borne by Ukrainian forces, though neither side releases comprehensive casualty figures.

The exchange of bodies and prisoners remains one of the very few functioning channels of direct cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The ICRC’s role, confirmed by Ukrainian officials, underscores the humanitarian architecture that persists despite the absence of political negotiations. Belarus has positioned itself as a consistent facilitator, with its state media emphasising a “humanitarian mission” in providing secure corridors. The latest swap is the thirteenth such operation in 2026, according to the Russian business daily RBC, indicating a regularised mechanism even as frontline hostilities intensify.

Tensions around the process surfaced earlier this month. On 4 July, Russia’s defence ministry proposed a six-hour local ceasefire in the Donetsk region city of Konstantinovka for 6 July to enable the handover of bodies, but Ukraine rejected the offer. Russian military sources had reported on 3 July that Konstantinovka had come under Russian control, a claim not independently verified. Ukrainian officials have previously accused Moscow of exploiting proposed humanitarian pauses for operational advantage. The established repatriation channel, however, continues to function, and further exchanges are expected, though no specific date has been announced.