Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of killed soldiers on July 16 on the border territory of Belarus, state agency BelTA and State Duma deputy Shamsail Saraliyev, who represents a parliamentary coordination group on the 'special military operation,' reported.
The exchange followed a '501 for 31' formula: the Russian side handed over 501 bodies to Ukraine, while Ukraine gave Russia 31 bodies. Kyiv has not yet confirmed or commented on the exchange, Deutsche Welle noted.
According to The Moscow Times, this was the 13th exchange of bodies or prisoners of war since the beginning of 2026. The return of the dead and prisoner swaps remain among the few areas of humanitarian cooperation between the sides since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The previous body exchange took place on June 18, when Russia handed over 522 bodies and Ukraine 33. On June 26, Moscow and Kyiv exchanged prisoners of war on a '160 for 160' formula, and a day later exchanged civilians ('7 for 7'). Agreements on regular exchanges were reached during negotiations in Istanbul from May to July 2025.