The bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been returned by Russia, Kyiv has said, in the latest exchange between the warring countries. Russia received 38 bodies in return, confirmed Moscow's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. Medinsky posted a photo on Telegram showing the exchange, with individuals dressed in biohazard suits alongside a line of white refrigerated trucks used for transporting bodies. Over the course of the nearly four-year conflict, Kyiv and Moscow have exchanged thousands of soldiers' bodies, with the latest swap occurring under an agreement reached during negotiations in Istanbul in 2025. That deal stipulated the return of 12,000 soldiers' bodies as well as all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25. The last swap took place in November of the previous year, when Russia returned 1,000 bodies to Ukraine and received 30 in return. However, there has not been an exchange of prisoners of war since October 2025, with both sides accusing each other of stalling. As the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion draws near, peace negotiations continue, with key issues unresolved, including territorial disputes. Meanwhile, both nations are still exchanging drone strikes, as evidenced by a recent Russian attack in Ukraine's Kharkiv region that killed at least five people.