Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today accused Russia of deliberately handing over the bodies of 20 Russian soldiers to Kyiv instead of Ukrainian ones during a recent large-scale body exchange.
Among those 20 bodies was an “Israeli mercenary who fought on their side – an Israeli citizen, with Israeli papers,” Zelensky told reporters. “Some bodies even had Russian passports,” Zelensky said, accusing Moscow of “lying” when it claims to hand over only Ukrainian bodies.
The Ukrainian president suggested Russia might be intentionally sending bodies of Russian soldiers to make it appear as though they’ve killed more Ukrainians, while minimizing their own losses.
“We believe they are doing this intentionally to show how many Ukrainian bodies they supposedly hold. They (the Russians) are afraid to admit the fact, which is a large number of (their own) dead,” Zelensky stated.
Body Exchange Agreement and Identification Challenges
During Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a large exchange of fallen soldiers’ bodies. On Monday, Ukraine’s Coordination Center for Prisoners of War announced that 6,057 bodies had been handed over to Ukraine. The Center has reserved judgment on the veracity of their nationality and military status, and identification of the bodies is pending.
Zelensky said Moscow isn’t verifying the identity of the bodies it hands over to Kyiv, and that “they (the Russians) cannot even check whom they are sending because they have too many people (killed).”
Ongoing Conflict and Prisoner Exchanges
For over three years, Ukraine has been under Russian invasion, with tens of thousands dead on both sides, including both civilians and military personnel. Authorities in both countries have not publicly announced their total losses.
Body exchanges, particularly of soldiers and prisoners of war, are rare areas where Kyiv and Moscow cooperate. Zelensky stated that 695,000 Russian soldiers are on Ukrainian territory, approximately 20% of which is held by Russian forces.
