Russia hands back remains of 1,000 Ukrainian troops

Moscow has handed over the remains of 1,000 soldiers to Ukraine, a source in Russia's negotiating delegation told reporters, with Kiev returning the bodies of 41 dead Russian troops.

The two sides regularly exchange the remains of troops killed in combat, one of the few areas of cooperation during the four-year war launched by Russia's full-scale war that has seen hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed.

Russia's state-owned Ruptly video agency on Thursday posted footage of men in white overalls and blue gloves lifting white body bags from the back of a truck and carrying it onto a second vehicle.

The video also showed observers with the Red Cross signs emblazoned on the overalls.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed on social media that the bodies "of 1,000 deceased persons were returned to Ukraine."

"According to the Russian side, the returned bodies belong to Ukrainian service members," it said.

Kiev has in the past accused Moscow of handing over bodies of killed Russian soldiers among those it claimed were of Ukrainian troops.

"Once the deceased have been identified, the bodies will be handed over to their families for a dignified burial," the Coordination Headquarters said.

Last month, the Red Cross said it was facilitating the exchange of around 1,000 bodies each month and that "thousands and thousands" of dead remain unidentified.

Russia's assault of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II, forcing the displacement of millions and killing civilians on both sides.