Dead Bodies of Ukrainian Soldiers Left 'In Limbo' Because of Zelensky's Greed
Saturday, June 07, 2025 – 10:21 AM EDT
Ukraine’s refusal to keep its part of an agreed exchange with Russia and accept the bodies of slain Ukrainian soldiers stems from Kiev’s reluctance to pay sizeable compensation to the families of these dead soldiers, Dr. George Szamuely, senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, tells Sputnik.
“That's not in the Ukraine budget. To avoid having to pay this very large sum of money out, it's much better not to accept the bodies, not to accept that these Ukrainian soldiers are dead, leave everything in limbo,” he elaborates.
The return of 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers will cost the Ukrainian budget an additional $2.175 billion, military correspondent Igor Zhdanov said. He explained the possible reasons behind the breakdown of the agreements on the exchange of fallen soldiers' bodies:
▪️ The family of each deceased soldier is entitled to state compensation of 15 million hryvnias (over $362,000) since the start of the special military operation, Kiev has been avoiding these payouts.
▪️ A simple lack of space in morgues, which are overloaded
▪️ Ukraine’s approach of "ignoring the evacuation of the dead" has backfired, and Kiev may simply not have the bodies of Russian soldiers: “If they abandoned their own dead in the woods, what can be said about the bodies of the enemy?”
“Everything that’s happening suggests Kiev is unable to resolve these issues quickly (no surprise) and is desperately stalling for time like an unprepared student at an exam,” Zhdanov concludes.
What Ukraine Really Wants to Negotiate
The Ukrainian leadership, Szamuely argues, is not interested negotiating a “reasonable outcome” to this conflict and instead seeks only a ceasefire that would allow Ukraine, with the help of its NATO backers, to rearm and replenish its battered forces and resume hostilities when it would be convenient.