Moscow included Russian soldiers’ bodies in remains sent to Kyiv in repatriation exchange, Ukraine says

Some of the remains that Moscow handed over to Kyiv in the latest round of repatriation efforts were those of Russian soldiers, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Monday.

Klymenko added that Ukrainian investigators and forensic experts are examining the returned remains, including conducting DNA tests.

The minister said that Russia is “deliberately complicating” the identification process, which he noted is already difficult. “The bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, with body parts placed in separate bags. In some cases, the remains of a single individual are returned in different stages of repatriation,” he said.

“Moreover, during the most recent repatriations, we also received the remains of Russian soldiers mixed in with Ukrainian ones. Unfortunately, that’s a fact,” Klymenko added. “This may have been done intentionally by the Russians to inflate the number of bodies being returned and overwhelm our forensic teams — while also adding cynical psychological pressure. Or it may simply reflect their habitual disregard for their own people.”

Ukraine is also working to identify the Russian soldiers’ remains, Klymenko said.