‘A dirty political and propaganda game’ Russia displays body bags containing remains of Ukrainian soldiers to journalists after swap falls through
After a planned prisoner swap failed to take place on Saturday, Russia sent hundreds of bodies to the exchange site and claimed that Ukraine was the one refusing to follow through. Kyiv dismissed the move as a stunt, saying no date for the repatriation had been agreed upon and accusing Moscow of playing “dirty games.” Ukrainian media outlets have described the episode as part of a broader information campaign, with the Russian side trying to suggest that President Volodymyr Zelensky is deliberately avoiding the return of fallen soldiers to conceal the true scale of Ukraine’s wartime losses. Indeed, Russian state media has been actively amplifying that very narrative. Here’s what we know so far.
After a planned June 7 prisoner exchange fell through, the Russian side brought refrigerated trucks containing the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers to the site where the handover was supposed to have occurred — and displayed the body bags to journalists invited to the scene.
Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation in the peace negotiations, claimed that Ukraine had failed to appear and had “unexpectedly postponed both the reception of the bodies and the prisoner exchange indefinitely.” In response, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that no date for the repatriation had been agreed upon and accused Russia of “unilateral actions,” calling for it to “stop playing dirty games.”
On June 8, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published footage showing a refrigerated truck being opened in front of reporters, revealing body bags inside. Photographs indicate that journalists from Russian state outlets — including Zvezda TV, Izvestia, and Channel One — were present, along with several foreign correspondents, including reporters from Al Mayadeen and Al Araby TV.
At the site, GRU General Alexander Zorin, another member of the Russian negotiating team, told reporters that Russia had delivered the first group of bodies — 1,212 in total — in “strict accordance” with agreements reached in Istanbul. He said many of the bodies had already been identified and that all were confirmed to be Ukrainian soldiers.
Zorin added that repatriation trains carrying additional remains were expected to depart soon. In total, Russia has agreed to return the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers. “There are indications that this operation [to return the bodies] may be postponed until next week,” Zorin said. “We are awaiting official notification through the established channel known to the Ukrainian side.”
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, responded by accusing Moscow of exerting “informational pressure and attempting to dictate the terms of the exchange unilaterally.” He said Ukraine had notified the relevant parties on Tuesday, June 3, that repatriation efforts were scheduled to begin the following week. “It is especially cynical,” Budanov added, “that some Russian propagandists are trying to exploit grief they themselves helped cause.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his evening address on June 8, said that Kyiv “continues to do everything possible to secure the release of our prisoners and the return of our fallen soldiers.” “We still haven’t received the full list of over 1,000 names from Russia, as agreed in Istanbul,” he said. “In typical fashion, the Russian side is once again trying to turn even this issue into a dirty political and propaganda game.”
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The Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua noted that the situation could carry political risks for Kyiv, describing Moscow’s actions as a clear attempt to stir public discontent in Ukraine. Russia’s claim that it holds the remains of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers — over 13 percent of the last publicly cited death toll — could deepen skepticism about the accuracy of official casualty figures, the outlet suggested.
Russian state media and pro-Kremlin commentators have amplified claims that Ukraine is refusing to accept the soldiers’ remains out of fear that doing so would reveal the true scale of its military losses. TASS, Russia’s state news agency, cited defense analyst Igor Korotchenko and Foreign Ministry representative Rodion Miroshnik, both of whom claimed that Zelensky is attempting to avoid public backlash and what Korotchenko described as an “image catastrophe.”
Strana.ua also reported that Moscow is promoting the narrative that Ukrainian authorities are deliberately delaying the retrieval of the bodies to avoid paying compensation to the families of the dead. To reinforce that message, Russian media have begun publishing the names of the deceased whose remains they say are awaiting repatriation — apparently aiming to provoke frustration among relatives of the fallen and the missing.
During the second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, Ukrainian and Russian officials reached an agreement on a broad prisoner and remains exchange, according to statements made after the talks. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the deal would cover severely wounded and ill prisoners of war, captives under the age of 25, and include the repatriation of the bodies of 6,000 fallen soldiers from each side. At the same time, Medinsky said that Moscow would “unilaterally” transfer the remains of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and officers to Ukraine the following week.
