Asger Risom
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia mistakenly repatriated the remains of its own soldiers during a recent body exchange, calling it evidence of chaos and disregard within Moscow’s military apparatus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of mishandling a mass body exchange by sending back the remains of at least 20 of its own soldiers.
The revelation follows a large-scale repatriation of over 6,000 bodies on each side, overseen by the International Red Cross.
“This Is Their Attitude Toward the Dead”
As reported by 20minutos, Zelensky stated that the mix-up shows a severe breakdown in Russia’s wartime logistics.
“They threw their citizens’ bodies at us, claiming they were Ukrainian. This is their attitude toward war, toward their own soldiers,” he said, adding that some of the corpses even had Russian passports.
Zelensky shared photos of the documents on his X account, asserting that the situation was now documented.
One of the deceased was reportedly an Israeli mercenary fighting for Russian forces.
Russian Soldier Identified Among the Dead
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the identity of one of the Russian soldiers as Alexander Viktorovich Bugaev, born in 1974.
Bugaev was carrying a Russian passport and military ID, and was wearing a Russian army uniform.
He had served in the 1st Battalion of the 39th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, according to findings published by the Kyiv Independent.
Klymenko said this act underscores Russia’s disregard for its own troops.
“This is further proof of how little Russia values its people, throwing their bodies on top of Ukrainian soldiers,” he said, noting that Bugaev’s family had reportedly been searching for him for months.
The macabre incident highlights the mounting human cost of the war and puts in question if the most basic functions of military accountability is even present in the Russian army.