This marks the first such exchange between the two warring countries this year, coming close after the recent Iran ceasefire.

Body repatriations and prisoner exchanges have remained one of the very few areas where the two sides have maintained any cooperation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Throughout 2025, the two countries conducted 14 such exchanges, with nearly 14,500 Ukrainian remains returned and around 391 Russian bodies handed back.