Zelensky: Russia handed over the bodies of 20 of its occupiers instead of fallen Ukrainian soldiers during repatriation

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during the repatriation of the bodies of the fallen soldiers, Russia handed over to Ukraine 20 people who turned out to be Russian occupiers. Among them was an Israeli mercenary who fought for the Russian Federation.

This was reported by a Babel correspondent from the presidentʼs meeting with journalists.

The Russians transferred the body of an Israeli citizen with his Israeli documents, sometimes they transfer the bodies of Russian citizens with their Russian passports.

"Although they told us that these [transferred bodies] were only Ukrainians and only military. But this is a lie, already recorded," Zelensky noted.

When asked how the Russian side was reacting to this, he replied: “Not at all. They say this can’t happen.” However, Ukraine does not believe that this is a coincidence.

According to the president, the Russians will try to prove that not as many Russians died as they actually did.

"Because if a moment comes when Putin wants to mobilize someone, his society will be afraid. But if you show that for every soldier there are supposedly a hundred dead Ukrainians, then it doesnʼt seem so scary," he said.

Zelensky is convinced that Russia is using such exchanges to create the appearance of openness to agreements for the US President Donald Trump and thus "tear the US away from Ukraine".

"If, for example, a few more meetings take place, the Russians will demonstrate to the US that the diplomatic process is ongoing, and sanctions will be postponed. And while exchanges are taking place, meetings at the leadership level will also be postponed. Because it is definitely not beneficial to them," the president summed up.

What preceded

At negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2, the parties agreed on a large exchange in the format of "all for all" in the following categories: seriously wounded and seriously ill, young people from 18 to 25 years old. At the same time, they agreed to exchange 6 thousand bodies of dead soldiers.

In the latest exchanges, almost 6 thousand bodies were returned. The Kremlin is returning the bodies of the dead in an extremely mutilated state, and during the latest repatriations, the bodies of the occupiers were also transferred. Ukraine is establishing the names of the dead Russians, whom the Russian Federation transferred during the repatriation under the guise of fallen Ukrainian fighters.

It will take Ukraine more than a year to identify the bodies of the dead Ukrainian citizens that Russia handed over.

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