Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a startling accusation against Moscow, claiming that Russia returned at least 20 of its own dead soldiers to Ukraine during recent prisoner of war (PoW) and fallen troop exchanges. Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy described the act as a reflection of Russia’s “disregard for its own soldiers”, stating, “They threw the corpses of their citizens at us.”
🪖 Russian Passports Among the Dead
Zelenskyy revealed that some of the bodies returned by Russia carried Russian passports, contradicting Moscow’s assertion that all the remains were Ukrainian. Among the deceased was reportedly an Israeli mercenary who had been fighting for Russia.
“This is their attitude toward war, toward their soldiers. And this is already documented,” Zelenskyy said, adding that journalists were shown identification documents belonging to the deceased.
🔄 Exchanges Amid Peace Talks
The exchanges occurred as part of ongoing direct peace negotiations in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to a 6,000-for-6,000 format for swapping fallen soldiers. However, Ukrainian officials expressed concern over the feasibility of such large-scale exchanges without proper forensic verification.
🧭 Broader Implications
Zelenskyy’s remarks come amid renewed Russian offensives in Donetsk and Kharkiv, and growing fears that Moscow may be using peace talks to stall sanctions while continuing its military campaign. The Ukrainian leader also accused Western and Asian firms of indirectly aiding Russia’s war effort by supplying machine tools used in weapons production.
Stay tuned for verified updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
