Kyiv received the bodies of 64 soldiers who died defending the Azovstal steelworks in the destroyed city of Mariupol in an exchange with Russia that saw Ukraine returning the remains of Russian troops, Ukraine's Reintegration Ministry said Tuesday.

"Ukraine has recovered the bodies of 64 heroic Azovstal defenders for their dignified burial," the ministry, which is responsible for the territory under Russia's control, said in a statement.

Azovstal, the last point of resistance in the southern port city of Mariupol, was captured by Russia at the end of May after a monthslong operation.

The ministry said the swap took place in the Zaporizhzhia region but did not say exactly when, nor did it specify how many Russian soldiers' bodies had been returned.

The exchange came after two previous swaps between Kyiv and Moscow involving 210 dead Ukrainian soldiers that were made public earlier this month.

The ministry said the process of recovering the bodies of Ukrainian troops was ongoing and taking place in accordance with the norms of the Geneva Convention.