Ukraine receives 1,200 more war dead bodies from Russia – DW – 06/15/2025
Russia returned a total of 4,812 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine this week. The return of the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers is in Moscow's plans.
Another transfer of 1,200 bodies from Russia was received by Ukraine as part of an exchange agreement that was struck in Istanbul talks earlier this month, Ukrainian officials announced on Sunday.
"Another 1,200 bodies which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel, were returned to Ukraine," the coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war in Kyiv reported, adding that the bodies would have to be forensically identified.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Facebook that a total of 4,812 bodies have been returned this week. "I am grateful to everyone involved in this humanitarian mission," he said.
Ukraine has not commented whether it has sent any bodies to the Russian side.
Russian news outlets also reported on the handover, which was part of a series of agreements reached between the two warring sides in Istanbul on June 2, that included also several prisoner exchanges.
According to the media reports, Russia did not receive any of its fallen soldiers from Ukraine on Sunday. Russia plans to return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainians.
Russia faces huge losses in its war against Ukraine
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Exact extent of the losses remains unknown
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, neither Moscow nor Kyiv has typically disclosed its military losses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC, a US news channel, earlier this year that more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and some 380,000 were hurt.
Russia has not disclosed the number of its military fatalities since September 2022, when it reported that fewer than 6,000 soldiers had died. This figure is widely considered to be significantly lower than the actual number of casualties.
Multiple independent investigations have reported significant losses of life among Moscow's army, using open sources such as death announcements that local officials and family members published.
The Russian website Mediazona and the BBC's Russian service claim to have identified the names of approximately 111,000 deceased Russian soldiers.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
15 minutes ago
- Int'l Business Times
G7 Protests Hit Calgary With Leaders Far Away
Hundreds of protesters supporting various causes assembled peacefully in downtown Calgary on Sunday as the Group of Seven summit began a long drive away in the mountain resort of Kananaskis. In recent years, G7 protests have become tightly controlled affairs. Demonstrators are confined to designated spaces, often more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from where world leaders meet. The 2025 edition is no different, with protesters voicing their anger in Alberta's largest city. Canadian officials promised a livestream of their messages to the isolated mountain town of Kananaskis where leaders of the seven industrialized nations are meeting. The crisis in Gaza was a dominant theme for the crowd of about 500 gathered in front of Calgary's main municipal building -- one of several areas in the city designated as protest zones. Police said no protesters were present at the other two local demonstration zones, including one near the Calgary airport where the leaders began arriving. "I'm here because I'm an Indigenous person," said Emrys Peacock, who came by bus from British Columbia's Okanagan region. "As an Indigenous person, I can't ignore a fellow Indigenous nation being bombed, murdered and starved at the hands of an occupation, (something) my people have been through since colonization," she added. Dozens of other protesters also railed against Israel's war campaign in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. Calgary student Terrence, who declined to give his last name, seemed surprised by the calm atmosphere. "I'm a little underwhelmed. I thought there would be a lot more confrontation because last year's Gaza protest was quite tense," he said. Unsurprisingly, hostility toward US President Donald Trump emerged as another major theme, particularly regarding his suggestions that Canada should become America's 51st state. Calgary native Diane Houston carried a sign calling the US leader an "abomination" and a "sociopath." She said she wanted "to make sure he's under no illusion that Canadians want to be a 51st state." Tracy Osterland from nearby Canmore echoed this sentiment: "Trump is a wannabe dictator, and he definitely needs to be stopped. Enough of the 51st state stuff already. We're not at all interested." Capturing the potpourri of themes at the protest, her double-sided poster had biting criticism of Trump on one side and a colorful welcome sign for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other. "I'm really hoping that they can do something for him," she said of the Ukrainian leader, who will be attending the G7 summit along with other invitees. Another attendee beyond the seven leaders of the industrialized countries is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched strikes on Pakistan last month after an attack on civilians in divided Kashmir. The G7 leaders "are the world's peacekeepers," said Asif Nazir of the Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party. "We give our message to Modi and all the G7 summit participants to come forward and solve this issue, as per the Kashmiris' wishes," he said. Environmental concerns also featured prominently, with activists highlighting Canada's vast freshwater resources. Ila Dame from the group Protect Alberta's Rockies and Headwaters suggested Trump's interest in Canadian annexation stems from coveting resources. "We have 20 percent of the world's fresh water. Trump wants our water and our resources. It has nothing to do with wanting our people," she said. Despite being relegated far from the actual summit, most protesters took the strict rules surrounding the G7 in stride. "I do think it would be more effective if we were closer, if we could actually get the attention of the people who attend the G7," Peacock said. "However, we will have an effect anywhere," she added, not regretting her long ride to Calgary. A protester holds a sign during a demonstration in front of Calgary City Hall on June 15, 2025 as world leaders converge in Canada for the G7 Summit AFP A protester uses a megaphone in front of a line of police during a demonstration in front of Calgary City Hall on June 15, 2025 as world leaders converge in Canada for the G7 Summit AFP A protester beats on a drum in front of a line of police during a demonstration in front of Calgary City Hall on June 15, 2025, as world leaders converge in Canada for the G7 Summit AFP
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Risk of nuclear war grows amid new arms race – DW – 06/16/2025
A dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at the same time as arms control is severely weakened, according to the latest SIPRI assessment. AI and space technologies are also radically redefining nuclear capabilities. There are nine nuclear-armed states in the world and nearly all of them continued with intensive nuclear modernization programs in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions. That is one of the key findings of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) Yearbook 2025, an annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. In the mid-1980s, nuclear warheads, bombs and shells worldwide numbered around 64,000. Today, the figure stands at an estimated 12,241. That trend now looks set to be reversed, according to the latest assessment. "The most worrying single thing that we see in the nuclear arsenals at the moment is that the long-term reduction in the numbers of nuclear warheads is coming to an end," SIPRI Director Dan Smith told DW. The end of post-Cold War nuclear disarmament Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War, the dismantling of retired warheads — warheads removed from the nuclear stockpile — has outpaced the deployment of new ones. While it is common practice for nuclear-armed states to modernize and upgrade their nuclear capabilities, Smith says there has been an intensification of this process since late in former US President Barack Obama's final term, with more investment in new generations of missiles and carriers. Germany rethinks future of nuclear security To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "Already for several years before then, the security horizon worldwide had been darkening and the nuclear-armed states were already starting to introduce these processes of what we would call this 'intense' process of modernization, so not just a little bit of tinkering, but some real steep changes," Smith said. SIPRI researchers conclude that of the world's estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in military stockpiles: either placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces, or in central storage that could potentially be deployed. An estimated 3,912 of those warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, with around 2,100 of those kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles. Nearly all of those belonged to Russia or the US, but China may also now keep some warheads on missiles, according to the assessment. Among the world's nuclear-armed states — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — Russia and the US possess 90% of all nuclear weapons. SIPRI analysts now warn that more and more states are considering developing or hosting nuclear weapons, with revitalized national debates about nuclear status and strategy. This includes new nuclear sharing arrangements: Russia claims to have deployed nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, while several European NATO member states have signaled willingness to host US nuclear weapons. International security deteriorating for over a decade In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference in which he railed against the US-dominated world order, NATO's eastward expansion and disarmament. But just two years later in 2009, Obama announced the goal of total nuclear disarmament in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. "The existence of thousands of nuclear weapons is the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War," he said. He went on to say that the US would "take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons" and negotiate a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia. That treaty was signed, and came into force in 2011. But in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration published its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review which identified the modernization of the US nuclear arsenal as a top priority. Amid rising tensions over the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration made the modernization of its nuclear arsenal a top priority Image: Frederic Kern /IMAGO In February 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill halting Russia's participation in the New START treaty. "The tide of insecurity has been building slowly since 2007-08, through 2014, onto this moment when the waves start crashing down in February 2022," Smith said. "I think that is when maybe many ordinary citizens woke up to this deterioration which was more than a decade old by that time." The bottom line is: the world's nuclear arsenals are being enlarged and upgraded. SIPRI estimates that China now has at least 600 nuclear warheads and that its nuclear arsenal is growing faster than any other country's. India is also believed to have slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024, while Pakistan continued to develop new delivery systems and accumulate fissile material — a key component of nuclear weapons. Israel, which on June 13 launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, killing military leaders and nuclear scientists, maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity over its own nuclear capabilities. However, it is believed to be in the process of modernizing its own nuclear arsenal, as well as upgrading a plutonium production reactor site in the Negev desert. AI and space technologies up the threat of nuclear war In his introduction to the SIPRI Yearbook 2025, Smith warns of the prospect of a new nuclear arms race that carries "much more risk and uncertainty" than during the Cold War era — largely due to the rise of artificial intelligence and new technologies in the fields of cyber capabilities and space assets. "The coming nuclear arms race is going to be as much about AI, cyberspace and outer space as it is about missiles in bunkers or on submarines or bombs on aircrafts. It's going to be as much about the software as about the hardware," Smith said. This complicates the question of how to control and monitor nuclear weapons and stockpiles when the competition between nuclear-armed states used to be more or less about numbers. There are long-term discussions about AI in relation to what are commonly called "killer robots" (Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems), and the use of automated and semi-automated drones since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — but not so much in relation to nuclear weapons. Why French are wary of Macron's nuclear umbrella for Europe To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Artificial intelligence allows for a large amount of information to be processed extremely quickly and in theory this should help decision makers to react more quickly. However, if something goes wrong within the software or a system totally reliant on LLMs, machine learning and AI, a small technical glitch could potentially lead to a nuclear strike. "I think there has to be a red line that probably all political leaders and military leaders will also agree with, that the decision on nuclear launch cannot be made by artificial intelligence," Smith said, pointing to the example of Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov. In 1983, Petrov was on duty at the Soviet nuclear early-warning system command center 62 miles south of Moscow when the system reported the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the US, with four more behind it. Luckily, Petrov suspected the warning was a false alarm and waited instead of relaying the information immediately up the chain of command — a decision which likely prevented a retaliatory nuclear strike, and in the worst-case scenario, full-scale nuclear war. "I suppose the big question is that in a world of artificial intelligence, who plays the part of Lieutenant Colonel Petrov?" Smith asked.
Int'l Business Times
5 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan To Kill Iranian Supreme Leader: US Official
US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior US official told AFP Sunday. "We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran's supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to," said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a question about reports that Trump had asked his country not to kill Khamenei. "I'm not going to get into that," he told Fox News. "But I can tell you,... we'll do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," he said. The comments came as Israel and Iran exchanged another barrage of missiles Sunday, with residents told to seek shelter as booms were heard over Jerusalem, and aerial defense systems reportedly activated in Tehran. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marked the first time the countries have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East. It began Friday, when Israel launched an attack that has killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and struck military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country. As Israel struck targets across Iran again on Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to make the country pay a "heavy price" for killing Israeli civilians. He also strongly suggested to Fox News that Israel had killed Iran's intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, saying it had recently "got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran" as its jets carried out raids over the capital. Trump has insisted that Washington, a strong ally of Israel, "had nothing to do" with Israel's bombing campaign. But he also threatened to unleash "the full strength and might" of the US military if Iran attacked US interests, later urging the two foes to "make a deal." Trump stressed to ABC News Sunday that the United States is "not at this moment" involved in the military action, but said it was "possible we could get involved." He also said he would be "open" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator to resolve the conflict.
