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It was preserved as a record on September 13; the timeline below shows how it unfolded, with sources. Get the briefing to follow the top situations still developing: three emails a week, sourced and in order.

[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [INTERNATIONAL]

3 clusters · 6 sources · 15 days · First seen · Last updated

Ukraine-Russia prisoner and remains exchanges

Overview

Limited cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow has continued through the exchange of prisoners and the repatriation of deceased military personnel. On August 13, a new exchange of deceased soldiers was conducted at the Novaya Guta checkpoint in Belarus, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. During this exchange, Ukraine received 261 bodies, while Russia received 24. Ukrainian authorities reiterated that returned remains undergo a comprehensive identification process before being officially recognized.

Data regarding the scale of these repatriations shows a significant imbalance. Since the start of the invasion, Russian officials claim to have handed over approximately 26,239 remains of Ukrainian military personnel, while Ukraine has returned 3,538 Russian bodies. In 2026, the ratio of returned remains has reached approximately 19.8 to 1.

Adding to tensions regarding prisoner treatment, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has accused Russian forces of executing at least 345 Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered since the start of the full-scale invasion. Lubinets alleged that Russian troops disarmed prisoners and, in some instances, forced them to strip before killing them with close-range gunfire. He further alleged that Russia is concealing detention conditions, noting that the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been granted access to Ukrainian prisoner locations since 2022.

On August 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the return of ten Ukrainian service members, including personnel from the Armed Forces and the National Guard who had been defending the Donetsk sector. This group, which includes individuals missing since 2024 and 2025, arrived via Belarus as part of the second stage of a recent prisoner swap.

Entities

Russia · Ukraine · International Committee of the Red Cross · Belarus · Center for War Prisoners

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

  • "Russia handed over 261 bodies to Ukraine and received 24 bodies from Ukraine."

    vs

    "Ukraine received 261 bodies of deceased individuals."

    The first claim asserts Ukraine received 261 bodies, while the second claim asserts Russia handed over 261 bodies and received 24 from Ukraine, which are compatible, but they are part of a larger set;

Timeline

  1. about 1 month ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Ukraine accuses Russia of executing prisoners and discusses mobilization changes

    Ukraine accuses Russia of executing at least 345 surrendered soldiers and withholding prisoner access from the Red Cross, while discussions emerge regarding lowering the conscription age and mobilizing women.

  2. about 1 month ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 4 sources
    Russia and Ukraine exchange remains of fallen soldiers

    Russia and Ukraine exchanged the remains of 261 Ukrainian and 24 Russian soldiers at a Belarus checkpoint, continuing a rare humanitarian channel amidst the ongoing conflict.

  3. about 2 months ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Ukraine Holds 20 Russian Soldiers Who Surrendered Twice

    Ukraine says 20 Russian troops have surrendered again, showing compliance with Geneva rules; they are part of ongoing prisoner‑exchange efforts amid the war.

Sources

businessdaily.gr · nczas.info · ot.gr · sapo.pt · southfront.press · wojna.co.pl

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history