Russia Sent Remains of Its Own Soldiers Alongside Ukrainian Defenders in Repatriation
In its latest report, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has revealed that Russia included the remains of its own servicemen among the bodies of Ukrainian defenders during recent repatriations, The Gaze reports.
The discovery was made during forensic examinations conducted by Ukrainian experts as part of the “I Want to Live” project, carried out in cooperation with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
According to the Ministry, the bodies transferred by Russia often arrive severely mutilated, with parts of the same body found in different bags — or even returned during separate repatriation rounds. Among the remains, experts found Russian military chevrons, uniforms, personal ID tags, and tattoos featuring Russian symbols.
In some cases, the body bags were labeled “Unidentified, possibly Ukrainian Armed Forces,” despite the deceased being dressed in Russian military camouflage. The Ministry says this may either be a deliberate tactic to inflate the number of repatriated bodies, or yet another example of what it calls Russia’s “negligent attitude toward its own people.”
“These bodies will also be identified,” the Ministry emphasized, stressing that Ukraine records and investigates every case professionally and strictly within humanitarian law.
All unidentified remains will be stored in Ukrainian medical facilities until DNA identification can be performed. The Ministry urged relatives of missing Russian soldiers to contact the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) if they believe their loved one’s remains may have been transferred to Ukraine.
Experts from the ICMP, at Ukraine’s initiative, have also begun collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing or deceased Russian servicemen abroad.
Ukrainian officials reiterated that these efforts are being made purely on humanitarian grounds, and despite Russia’s alleged attempts at manipulation, Ukraine continues to ensure dignity for all war victims, even those sent to fight against it.