Ukraine and Russia to exchange remains of 6,000 fallen soldiers? Here's what Kyiv has to say

The Russia-Ukraine conflict keeps taking new shape every passing day, but this is one day that both sides have decided to take a step back and bring home their wounded soldiers. According to an AFP report, Ukraine and Russia on Monday agreed to bring seriously wounded soldiers back to their respective countries. The exchange of the prisoners of war is set to happen soon, according to reports.

Remains of soldiers also to be exchanged

Not only will seriously wounded or sick prisoners be sent back to their respective homelands, be it Russia or Ukraine, but the remains of nearly 6,000 soldiers will also be returned, according to officials from Kyiv. Moreover, both countries have also agreed to send back young soldiers between the ages of 18-25 years.

"We agreed to exchange all-for-all seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war. The second category is young soldiers who are from 18 to 25 years old -- all-for-all. Also we agreed to return 6,000 to 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers," Ukraine's lead negotiator and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was quoted as telling reporters in Istanbul on Monday, as per AFP.

The delegations met on Monday in the Turkish city of Istanbul, and officials confirmed that both sides will exchange PoWs and the remains of 6,000 soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict. However, little headway was made during these talks about the ending the three-year-old war, says an Al Jazeera report.

During the discussions, negotiators from both sides unanimously agreed to swap severely wounded soldiers, and also those who were between the ages of 18-25. This marks a second dialogue between Russia and Ukraine through diplomatic channels, but not much was expected this time around. The last time they met, another prisoner swap talk happened between both the countries, but no ceasefire solutions were reached. “The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya was quoted as saying after the talks concluded in Istanbul.

In another addition during these talks, Kyiv reportedly handed over a list of children it accuses Russia of abducting and has demanded their return.