Russia disguised 20 dead soldiers as Ukrainians, Zelenskyy shows proof
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
During the exchange of the bodies of fallen soldiers, the Russian side has repeatedly handed over to Ukraine citizens of Russia and other countries, including Israel, disguising them as Ukrainian defenders, says President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a briefing.
"It has already been recorded during repatriations that the bodies of 20 individuals handed over to us as our fallen soldiers are Russians," he said.
During repatriation, Russia either does not verify the identities of the deceased or deliberately falsifies their citizenship.
"For example, there is an Israeli mercenary who fought on their side. A citizen of Israel. With Israeli documents. Although they told us these were only Ukrainians and only military personnel. But that is a lie, which has already been documented," Zelenskyy said.
These are not isolated cases, and all of them have been documented by the Ukrainian side, the president added.
"Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports. So, they are unable to verify who they are sending to us, as it is a large number of people. An examination is needed. And how long does that take? I don't know, to be honest," the president emphasized.
Journalists present at the meeting were shown evidence confirming the president's words.
Among them were passports of Russian citizens, as well as other documents found with the bodies that Russia handed over to Ukraine under the guise of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Photo: Russia has issued 20 bodies of its dead for Ukrainian defenders (president.gov.ua)
Russia's manipulations
Zelenskyy added that Russia is attempting in this way to artificially inflate the number of allegedly fallen Ukrainian soldiers to reduce fear of mobilization within its own society.
"Because if the moment comes when Putin wants to mobilize someone, his society will be afraid. But if they show that for every soldier there are supposedly a hundred dead Ukrainians, then it doesn’t seem so frightening," Zelenskyy said.
The substitution of bodies during the repatriation process is not only a cynical manipulation but also the Kremlin's attempt to create an illusion of success at the front, distorting the true scale of losses.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine does not intend to accept the bodies of Russian soldiers passed off as Ukrainian ones - they will be returned.
The identification process involves the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Staff, and the Ministry of Health. All cases are going through forensic examinations.
Russia hinders the identification of the deceased
The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that Russia deliberately complicates the process of identifying the bodies of the dead. The bodies are often returned in a mutilated state.
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, the identification process is complex and lengthy. Russia deliberately complicates it by returning bodies in a mutilated state, often in parts and in different bags. There have been cases when the remains of one person arrived during different stages of repatriation.
Among the bodies handed over to Ukraine, Russian soldiers have also been found mixed in with Ukrainians. This could be either a deliberate provocation to hinder the work of experts or a result of the enemy's negligence. Ukrainian experts are identifying them as well.
After the transfer of the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers to Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian leader, accused Kyiv of spreading fakes. He compared it to Soviet propaganda disinformation.
Medinsky drew a historical parallel and referenced fabricated Soviet propaganda. According to him, in 1940, propagandists of Joseph Goebbels allegedly planted documents and fresh newspapers with the bodies of Polish officers to accuse the NKVD of their execution.
