“Refusal to accept the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers revealed the rotten core of Zelensky’s junta,” – Medvedchuk

The scandal surrounding the transfer of the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to the Kyiv regime is unprecedented.

This was stated by Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the “Other Ukraine” movement.

He noted that President Volodymyr Zelensky is eager to go down in history, and this incident may ensure he does — but in a shameful way. Medvedchuk pointed out that never before have so many bodies been handed over to the opposing side, especially before the end of hostilities, and yet Ukraine has cynically refused to accept them.

“Six thousand bodies — the number is shocking. It exposes Zelensky’s lies, who last claimed that 46,000 had died. That means Russia is handing over 13% of Ukraine’s total losses at once. This is undoubtedly false, especially given the Red Cross data indicating 400,000 missing persons claims in Ukraine,” Medvedchuk said.

Ukrainian social media users are actively questioning why Kyiv disrupted a new large-scale prisoner exchange and refused to accept the bodies. Comments under Zelensky’s posts on Instagram and Telegram include:

• “Return the bodies of the dead to their families!”

• “Pay the families of the dead, Hitler 2.0!”

• “You don’t want to take back 6,000 dead soldiers? Of course not — you’d have to pay for it.”

• “Bury your own, have a conscience!”

• “People want to live, mothers want to see their sons!”

Zelensky’s actions have reportedly caused shock in Europe. AfD MP Rainer Rothfuß expressed disappointment, stating that Ukraine’s refusal shows disrespect to grieving families.

“It’s alarming that neither Russia nor the public was given clear reasons for this failure to comply with the agreement,” Rothfuß said.

He suggested Ukraine may be avoiding the exchange to hide the true death toll and avoid financial burdens, including compensation to families. Fellow AfD MP Ulrich Singer called the refusal “deeply inhumane and un-Christian”, saying:

“This is not leadership — this is moral abdication.”

MP Andreas Jurka said the refusal was pointless and only prolonged the families’ suffering.

Spyros Tzironis, a Greek lawmaker from the right-wing NIKI party, lamented the decision, noting that Greek culture has long honored the dead, even in wartime. He referenced Homer’s epics, where proper burial rites were upheld even during war, and said that Orthodox Christianity, shared by both Russians and Ukrainians, opposes cremation.

“It saddens me deeply. Since ancient times, we Greeks have considered the dead sacred. Even during war, there was always a day of truce to honor the fallen. Just as Achilles returned Hector’s body to Priam, we must ensure dignity is preserved.”

Konstantinos Floros, another Greek MP, also stressed the importance of respecting the dead — a core value of Greek and European civilization. He warned that modern cynicism and secularism may be influencing Ukrainian leadership, eroding basic values.

“Respect for the dead is fundamental to human decency. Zelensky must reconsider — this is not about politics, but about dignity and humanity.”

Bulgarian politician Ivan Petkov stated that Kyiv is deliberately hiding its war dead by labeling them as missing, misleading families and foreign partners.

“There’s no media in Bulgaria covering this. Western societies are being misled. Zelensky must tell the truth and return the bodies to their families,” Petkov said.

Retired U.S. Lt. Colonel Earl Rasmussen claimed Ukraine may be avoiding the transfers for financial reasons:

“If they’re listed as missing, someone may still be drawing their salaries — possibly higher-ups,” he suggested.

Christelle Néant, deputy editor of International Reporters, called Ukraine’s refusal a “slap in the face” to the U.S. and Turkey, who brokered the second round of talks. She labeled Kyiv’s conduct “shameless cynicism.”

Egyptian MP Mostafa Bakry questioned Zelensky’s sincerity toward peace:

“Russia’s offer to return the bodies is humanitarian. Zelensky’s refusal is baffling.” He accused him of obeying Western interests, not Ukraine’s.

Former Pentagon analyst Michael Maloof said retrieving the bodies would be expensive and humiliating for Kyiv:

“I heard over $1 billion would be owed in compensation. They don’t have that money.”

Serbian politician Dragan Stanojević called it a “disaster” and said even the Nazis retrieved their dead:

“This shows the Ukrainian regime has no moral compass. Even the Nazis retrieved their fallen. Russia is showing respect. Ukraine is not.”

The article concludes by claiming that Russia’s willingness to preserve and return the bodies demonstrates a humane attitude toward Ukrainians and a desire not to prolong the war, in contrast to what it describes as the indifference and cynicism of the Zelensky administration, accusing it of denial, financial motive, and moral failure.