MOSCOW/KYIV, June 15 (Reuters) – Ukraine has recovered the remains of another 1,200 of its service members fallen in combat with Russia, Ukrainian authorities said Sunday, as part of ongoing agreements involving the exchange of both prisoners of war and the deceased.

This month alone, a series of transfers have allowed Ukraine to bring back the remains of over 4,800 soldiers, making it one of the most substantial recoveries since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russian news outlets TASS and RIA confirmed the exchange, indicating that Russia had not yet received any of its own fallen troops in these recent transfers.

"In line with the agreements struck in Istanbul, the process of repatriating those who have died continues. Today, the Russian side returned another 1,200 bodies to Ukraine," said Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

"What comes next is a highly sensitive and vital identification effort. It's a challenging task, but one that will help provide closure to many families," Umerov added. He has been leading Ukraine's delegation in the Istanbul negotiations.

This latest exchange was the fourth such handover to occur within the past week, all carried out following commitments made by both countries earlier this month during talks in Istanbul.

Under the agreement, Kyiv and Moscow consented to the exchange of up to 6,000 fallen soldiers and to swap prisoners of war who are seriously injured, ill, or under the age of 25.

To date, Russia has acknowledged receiving only 27 of its deceased soldiers in return.

While both sides have executed three separate exchanges of prisoners of war, neither has disclosed the specific numbers involved.