Ukraine has unexpectedly delayed a planned exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies, according to a statement issued Saturday by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky. The postponement, he said, is indefinite and comes despite prior agreements between the two nations.

The planned exchange was the result of negotiations held earlier in the week during the second round of peace talks in Istanbul. At that meeting, both sides had agreed to prioritize the return of young and critically wounded prisoners and to repatriate the remains of around 12,000 soldiers who have died in the ongoing conflict.

"In line with the Istanbul agreement, Russia launched a humanitarian mission on June 6 to transfer over 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and begin the exchange of injured, seriously ill, and under-25 prisoners of war," Medinsky wrote in a post on Telegram.

He further stated that 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers are currently stored in refrigerated containers at a designated exchange site. In preparation for the swap, Russia has already submitted to Ukraine the first list of 640 POWs fitting the agreed criteria, he said.

However, Medinsky noted that the Ukrainian delegation failed to appear at the agreed exchange point on the border, leaving Russia’s contact group waiting at the site.
Attempts to reach Ukrainian officials involved in the coordination of the exchanges went unanswered, with no immediate comments provided.

Calling on Ukraine to respect the mutually agreed timeline, Medinsky urged officials in Kyiv to proceed without delay. "We’re ready and waiting on the ground. International media are welcome to come and verify that everything is in place and prepared," he added.

The stalled exchange adds another layer of tension to the already fragile diplomatic efforts aimed at easing hostilities between the two countries.