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Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of postponing a large-scale prisoner swap and the repatriation of dead soldiers' bodies that both sides agreed to during peace talks in Istanbul.
"The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period, both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war," Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said on Telegram.
Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv agreed to swap all wounded soldiers and those under the age of 25 who were still held as prisoners of war (POW).
During direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, the Russian delegation had previously announced readiness to conduct a mutual prisoner exchange of 1,200 people on June 7-9.
Both sides had agreed to exchange at least 1,000 people from each side, prioritizing wounded, seriously ill, and prisoners of war under 25 years old, based on the principle of equality.
Medinsky said Russia had brought the bodies of 1,212 killed Ukrainian soldiers to the "exchange area" as the first installment of 6,000 bodies to be handed over. Moscow had also provided Kyiv with a list containing the names of 640 prisoners of war to be swapped in the first stage.
"The Russian side, in exact accordance with the Istanbul agreements, began implementing the humanitarian action on June 6 to transfer more than 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen to Ukraine, as well as to exchange wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war and prisoners of war under 25 years old," Medinsky wrote on his Telegram account.
"The first batch of frozen bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, numbering 1,212, has already arrived in refrigerators in the exchange area. The rest are on the way," he added.
Medinsky stated that Russia's contact group from the Ministry of Defense was positioned at the border with Ukraine, but Ukraine's negotiation team had not arrived at the exchange location.
"However, the Ukrainian side unexpectedly postponed both the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war for an indefinite period. Their group of negotiators, for some reason, did not even arrive at the exchange site. Various and rather strange reasons are being cited," Medinsky said.
After the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the exchange would take place this weekend, while Russia said it was ready for Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
"We urge Kyiv to strictly adhere to the timetable and all agreements reached, and begin the exchange immediately," Medinsky said. "Let, as we agreed, 1,200 soldiers and officers from each side get a chance to return home."
Medinsky also called for Ukraine to collect the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers and officers "so that families can humanely bury them."
"We are in place. We are fully ready to work. International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents can come and see for themselves that this is the case. Russia always keeps its word," he stated.
Kyiv did not immediately respond to Russia's accusation of postponing the agreed exchange.
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