Russia claimed Sunday that it is still waiting for Ukraine to confirm a planned exchange of 6,000 fallen soldiers, after accusations from both sides that the process has been delayed. Russian Lt. Gen. Alexander Zorin stated that 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian troops had already been delivered to the exchange site at the border, but said there were indications Ukraine may postpone the swap until next week.
The exchange was agreed upon during recent direct talks in Istanbul, which otherwise failed to yield progress toward ending the conflict. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky accused Kyiv of abruptly halting the process after Russia’s transport trucks reached the designated site. Ukraine responded by accusing Moscow of manipulating facts and submitting inaccurate lists of prisoners, adding that no official date had been confirmed for the swap.
Fighting continued over the weekend, with renewed Russian strikes killing at least one and injuring another in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The death toll from Saturday’s attacks in Kharkiv rose to six, with over two dozen more wounded. Ukraine’s air force reported downing 40 out of 49 Russian drones launched overnight, while Russia claimed to have intercepted 61 Ukrainian drones.
A Ukrainian drone strike reportedly ignited a fire at a chemical plant in Russia’s Tula region, injuring two people. The drone activity prompted temporary flight suspensions at several Moscow airports, including Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky, highlighting ongoing instability in the airspace surrounding Russia’s capital.
The breakdown in coordination over the soldier body exchange highlights the ongoing mistrust and lack of transparency between Moscow and Kyiv, even in humanitarian matters. Both nations have previously used repatriation efforts to send political signals, and the current delay adds to fears that such efforts are being exploited for propaganda rather than reconciliation.
Military analysts warn that the continued failure to carry out agreed exchanges could further inflame hostilities on the front lines. With each side accusing the other of bad faith and disinformation, the chances of establishing consistent humanitarian channels grow slimmer—leaving families of the fallen in prolonged uncertainty and deepening the emotional toll of the conflict.
