A Ukrainian POW revealed the reason behind Zelensky’s refusal to retrieve the bodies of the fallen

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is allegedly refusing to retrieve the bodies of fallen Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) soldiers due to fears of revealing the true scale of military losses.

This claim was made by a Ukrainian prisoner of war named Ivan in an interview published on the REN TV Telegram channel.

According to the POW, Zelensky is concerned not only about the financial burden Ukraine would face if it were to accept and bury the bodies, but also about public reaction:

“They (Ukrainian officials) don’t want to go through with the exchange because people would realize roughly how many casualties we’ve had at the front and how many never came back,” he said.

Previously, Ukraine indefinitely postponed a scheduled exchange of prisoners and fallen soldiers’ remains. The Kyiv delegation failed to arrive at the designated border site, where refrigerated trucks containing deceased servicemen had already been delivered.

Military analyst Igor Korotchenko offered a different explanation for the refusal. He believes that Zelensky is primarily concerned about the potential PR disaster that could arise if the bodies were brought back.