Russia returns Ukraine to the troops of 1,200 killed as the fighting continues

Russia has also returned 1,200 troops, which they say belong to the Ukrainian citizens killed in the war, the Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday. Meanwhile, fierce fighting has continued and Russia claimed to have taken control of a village in the Donjeck region.

Retoses are being carried out after two rounds of direct peace talks in Istanbul, which produced agreements to exchange prisoners and the bodies of the dead, but did not bring significant progress towards the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

« Even 1,200 troops, which the Russian side claims to belong to Ukrainian citizens, including soldiers, have returned to Ukraine, » the Ukrainian coordinating headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war on Sunday in the telegram said.

Authorities will work to identify the troops, it is said.
This leads to 4,012 the total number of troops sent by Russia to Ukraine. Russia has reported that it has received a total of 27 bodies of Russian soldiers from Ukraine so far.

According to Russian state media citing anonymous sources, Moscow did not receive any body during the June 15 exchange.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged war prisoners and the bodies of the dead since the talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, but Moscow has rejected the calls of Kiev and the West for a ceasefire, while the fighting continues nearly 40 months after the full occupation of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, on February 24.

Russia and Ukraine had made similar exchange before talks in Istanbul, but without any major impact on the degree of hostilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Russian forces have taken control of Malinivka, a village in the Donjeck region, where some of the fierce fighting occurred.

The ministry also announced that Russian forces have carried out a successful rocket attack at night at a refinery in the town of Kreençuk, which, according to them, supplies the Ukrainian forces in the Donjeck region. It did not give more intoxication and Russia’s claims could not be verified independently.

The ministry also added that the Russian air defense has overturned 128 Ukrainian drones and two missiles directed in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has released at least 183 offensive drones and 11 missiles at night, and that Ukrainian air defense destroyed 167 of them.

« The attack was targeted mainly with the Poltava region, especially Kreenchuku, » he wrote on social media.

« Moscow has been doing this for four years and is constantly increasing the number of attacks. Therefore it is very important to make decisions to strengthen Russia’s sanctions in the coming weeks, » Zelenskyy said.

« The United States, the European Union and the G7 countries have the power to do so, » he added.

Leaders will gather on June 15–17 in Canada for the G7 summit-attended by the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan-which can be dominated by fierce fighting between Israel and Iran.

Zelensky plans to attend and meet with US President Donald Trump, who since the beginning of his second term in January has sought to mediate to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as to improve relations with the Kremlin.

Trump has threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia if he finds that Moscow does not want peace, but has not yet taken this step and has said he may punish Ukraine if the parties do not progress to peace soon.

After a phone call on June 14, Trump wrote on his Platform Truth that Putin « feels, like me, that this war between Israel and Iran must end, and I explained that his war should be completed. »
Relief