Umerov noted that "the parties have reached an agreement to resume the Istanbul arrangements." He added that technical consultations will be held in the coming days to clarify all necessary procedures, emphasizing that work continues without interruption with the aim of bringing Ukrainians home by the New Year and Christmas holidays.
The reached agreement is based on negotiations that took place in Istanbul on June 2, where issues concerning the exchange of severely wounded soldiers and prisoners under the age of 25 were discussed. These negotiations also included the return of 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers. Since that time, there have been seven rounds of exchanges, with the Russian side reporting that Moscow has handed over more than 6,000 bodies to Kyiv in return for 78 bodies from Ukraine.
