Kyiv has received another 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers from Russia, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday, following another night of Russian drone strikes.

The handover, the second to take place this week, was brokered by the International Red Cross, the staff responsible for prisoner-of-war issues in Kyiv said.

On Wednesday, Ukraine received the remains of 1,212 soldiers and handed over 27 dead bodies to Moscow in return.

During direct negotiations in Istanbul at the beginning of the month, the warring parties agreed on the return of the remains of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers from Russia to Ukraine.

The exchange was originally expected last weekend but stalled due to a lack of coordination between the two countries.

Friday’s handover followed another wave of overnight Russian drone attacks on eastern Ukraine, with combat drones bombing areas around Sumy and Donetsk, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Air raid alerts sounded in eastern Ukraine, authorities said.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years.

(dpa/NAN)