ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. The Russian side has handed over more than 6,000 bodies of deceased Ukrainian servicemen to the Kiev government, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the heads of the world's leading news agencies organized by TASS.
"Based on the general situation on the humanitarian track, the negotiations make sense. We have already agreed to exchange 1,200 for 1,200, we are bringing our people back. We have already released 500 people and got 400 back. I think it will be an honest deal. We will return everyone who should be returned," Putin said.
"It’s sad to say, but we have given 6,000 bodies of deceased Ukrainian servicemen, and are ready to give 3,000 more. These are sad and tragic figures, but, at the same time, it’s a humanitarian subject and a positive outcome of the negotiations in Istanbul," he added.