KYIV: Kyiv said on Saturday that Russia had returned 528 bodies to Ukraine identified as Ukrainian soldiers killed in action, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring neighbors. &quot;As a result of repatriation efforts, the bodies of 528 deceased individuals have been returned to Ukraine; according to the Russian side, they may be Ukrainian servicemen,&quot; Ukraine&#39;s prisoners of war center stated on social media, without specifying when the remains were received. Investigators and experts &quot;will take all necessary steps to identify the repatriated deceased&quot;, the center said, a day after Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war each. Three-day ceasefire Last Friday, US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the conflict from Saturday to Monday, as well as an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Friday&#39;s exchange of prisoners marked the first phase of the swap announced by Trump.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/d7fe2ba3-9ac2-41f1-9390-2276e563c573-Ukraine.jpg" alt="Ukraine.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 1000px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Undisclosed, Ukraine: Released Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) wrapped with Ukrainian national flags hug each other following a prisoner exchange at an undisclosed location, in the Chernihiv region on May 15, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (File Photo: AFP)</figcaption></figure> Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, exchanges of prisoners and the remains of fallen fighters have been one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv.

Europe

Last Friday, US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the conflict from Saturday to Monday, as well as an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.

Kyiv says Russia has returned 528 bodies to Ukraine

Reuters

Twenty-three Ukrainian children and adolescents have been brought out of Russian-occupied areas of the country to territory under Kyiv&#39;s control, President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s chief of staff said on Thursday. Andriy Yermak, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the rescue was carried out under the president&#39;s &quot;Bring Kids Back UA&quot; programme aimed at bringing to safe areas children deported to Russia or confined to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Yermak said those returning included two sisters who refused a demand to attend Russian schools made by Russia-installed authorities who had threatened to remove the girls from their mother&#39;s care. Refusal to attend Russian school&nbsp;Another teenage boy similarly refused to attend Russian school and one child and her mother were refused permission to leave occupied areas as one of their relatives was serving in the Ukrainian military. Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia and Belarus in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Research by Yale&#39;s School of Public Health suggested in September that the number could be closer to 35,000. Russia denies it has deported children from Ukraine, saying it has taken action to ensure they are safe from wartime hostilities.

Official says those returning included two sisters who refused a demand to attend Russian schools made by Russia-installed authorities; Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia.

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Kyiv says Russia has returned 528 bodies to Ukraine

Twenty-three children rescued from Russian-occupied areas: Ukrainian official