Russia sending Dead Soldiers to Ukraine to Hide Losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of deliberately misleading the public about the true scale of Russia’s battlefield losses in Ukraine by returning the bodies of his own soldiers as Ukrainian casualties, according to remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking at a press briefing, Mr. Zelensky said that Moscow orchestrated the deception during a large-scale prisoner-and-body swap in Istanbul on June 2. “Putin is afraid to admit how many people have died,” he asserted, noting that concealing staggering death tolls is key to preserving domestic support for the war and minimizing opposition to any future conscription drives.

Ukraine’s General Staff has reported that Russian forces have suffered more than 1,010,000 casualties—both killed and wounded—since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Official figures from Russia remain undisclosed, with each side maintaining tight secrecy around its losses.

Under the terms of the Istanbul agreement, Ukraine recovered 6,057 of its fallen soldiers, while Russia received only 78 bodies, according to Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky. Ukrainian authorities say that at least 20 of those returned were, in fact, Russian servicemen carrying Russian passports. Among them was Alexander Viktorovich Bugaev of the 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, whose remains were reportedly passed off as Ukrainian.

Describing the practice, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko declared: “This shows how little human life means to Russia. Or maybe it’s just a way to avoid paying compensation to the families.” He added that the subterfuge also serves to deny bereaved relatives their rightful entitlements, further compounding the tragedy.

In one particularly striking case, Zelensky highlighted the return of the remains of an Israeli citizen who had volunteered to fight on Russia’s side, yet was officially misidentified as Ukrainian. Such incidents underscore Kyiv’s contention that Moscow is willing to distort even fundamental truths to shape public perception.

Independent outlets Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service have verified the identities of 111,387 Russian soldiers killed in action, but caution that the actual figure is likely far higher given the limitations on open-source verification.