Ukraine has confirmed that Russia repatriated at least 20 of its fallen soldiers during recent exchanges with the Ukrainian government. This move has been characterized as indicative of disorganization on Moscow’s part regarding large-scale swaps involving injured prisoners of war and the remains of troops. President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that among those recovered was an Israeli citizen. He made these remarks during a press conference on Friday, although they were under an embargo until Saturday, as reported by the Associated Press. The identities of the repatriated bodies were not disclosed.
Zelensky remarked, “They threw the corpses of their citizens at us. This is their attitude toward war, toward their soldiers.” He added that Russian officials claimed all the deceased were Ukrainians. However, journalists were shown a Russian passport and an identification card belonging to one of the 20 repatriated soldiers, revealing that he hailed from the Moscow region.
In addressing broader geopolitical issues, Zelensky also spoke about the recent strikes involving Iran and Israel. He reiterated Ukraine’s opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, citing its military cooperation with Russia. However, he refrained from explicitly endorsing Israeli strikes. “Iran gave the Russians everything to kill us. They gave them martyrs, they gave them missiles, and they gave them licenses,” he stated. “The fact that their production capacities have now become weaker is positive for us. But at certain points it may already be too late.”