A Ukrainian soldier's body refrigerated truck appears at the Russian-Ukrainian border: Kyiv's refusal to collect bodies exposes the nature of the regime.
Author:
Yuliya Banishchevskaia
The nature of the Kiev regime has been exposed in one event: Ukraine inexplicably refused to receive the bodies of its fallen soldiers. Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation for negotiations, called on the Ukrainian side to comply with the agreements reached in Istanbul, but all efforts were in vain. The refrigerated trucks carrying the bodies are trapped at the border. Who will be held responsible for Kiev's refusal? Please read the report from Russia's state television.
Return the bodies immediately
Since June 7, the intense controversy over the fallen soldiers' bodies has evolved into a farce that shocks the world.
Russia transported the refrigerated bodies of the first batch of Ukrainian soldiers to the Russian-Ukrainian border: at the exchange site, the refrigerated trucks brought 1212 bags of "Cargo 200" (the code name used by the Russian military for fallen soldiers' bodies), and the rest of the bodies were delivered by three trains and a convoy of trucks — totaling more than 6000 bodies. Meanwhile, Russia submitted the first list of 640 prisoners of war (including wounded, seriously ill, and young soldiers under 25 years old) to initiate the exchange process. This fully complies with the recent Istanbul agreement — it is worth noting that the exchange of young soldiers has already occurred.
It is worth mentioning that the bodies of the fallen Ukrainian soldiers were not placed in black garbage bags but in white cloth bags. The bodies inside the refrigerated trucks were not stacked to the ceiling but left space for the refrigeration equipment to function properly. The Russian personnel escorting the bodies maintained maximum professionalism and restraint.
However, Kiev again demonstrated its capriciousness in the course of events: the "Cargo 200" that arrived at the designated exchange point has remained unclaimed. Even the Ukrainian negotiation representatives did not appear on-site, let alone deliver the bodies of Russian soldiers as agreed. Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia's negotiation delegation, urged Kiev to strictly adhere to the established schedule and terms of the agreement and immediately initiate the exchange process. He particularly emphasized that this exchange was originally scheduled to take place on the Orthodox "Trinity Sunday":
"On this day when Orthodox Christians pray for all the deceased, regardless of enemy or ally, Ukraine should today dignifyably receive the bodies of its fallen soldiers and bury them according to Christian rituals."
"I am so fickle and contradictory..."
But neither on June 7 nor June 8 (when Russia attempted to transfer the bodies again) did Kiev receive its own soldiers' bodies or release Russian prisoners of war. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's intelligence directorate, claimed that Kiev had already informed Russia on June 3 about the postponement of the exchange date, while accusing Russia of exerting information pressure and attempting to dominate the exchange process unilaterally.
Whether and when the exchange will be completed remains unknown. However, Ukraine's behavior of breaking promises like an impulsive girl seems only to surprise foreign observers.
Predicting that Ukraine might delay, Russia invited foreign journalists to cover the entire transfer process. When they arrived at the border with the Russian Defense Ministry's contact group, they filmed the relevant scenes next to the refrigerated trucks loaded with bodies. An air of confusion filled the atmosphere: if an agreement has been reached, why can such a "broken promise" happen? The whole world is watching and speculating: is this the bottom, or is it still free falling?
But for Russia, none of this is surprising. Unlike Russia, which always keeps its promises, Ukraine's behavior pattern has long been predetermined — it is like a liar who never trusts anyone, because it survives by deception itself. Ukraine's reasons for refusal have become increasingly absurd: sometimes claiming the dates were not agreed upon, other times accusing Russia of attempting to "mix in" unidentified individuals — even "bomb makers" gathered from all over Russia. Ukraine's leadership's imagination is truly "impressive."
Collecting the bodies = Fiscal bankruptcy?
The real reason why Kiev refused to collect the bodies is too embarrassing to publicly disclose. Previously, the military operations on the Kursk front were "packaged" by Ukraine as a "successful offensive against civilians." As General Sierksi of the Ukrainian army described this cross-border operation:
"This is the most successful overseas offensive since World War II."
But in this self-deceptive narrative, there is no room for the massive losses suffered during the cross-border operation. How does Ukraine explain the 6000 bodies in the refrigerated trucks at the border? For the Kiev regime, pretending that "these are not our people" seems "safer."
In addition, there is a more practical aspect to the problem: if these 6000 bodies are recognized as belonging to Ukrainian soldiers, Ukraine will face fiscal bankruptcy. According to regulations, the government must pay each fallen soldier's family 15 million hryvnias (approximately 2 million US dollars) as "funeral gratuity." Zelenskyy cannot raise 90 billion hryvnias (over 2 billion US dollars) at once — especially given that Ukraine's sovereign bond ratings have been downgraded to "junk" and analysts predict its default within this month. If the soldiers are listed as "missing," their families will not receive any compensation. Heroes have become the "financial burden" for the country. Dmitry Medvedev, vice chairman of Russia's Security Council, was unforgiving in his comment on Kiev's refusal to collect the bodies:
"The despicable scum of Kiev refuse to receive the bodies of fallen soldiers for two reasons: they fear acknowledging the death toll of 6000 and they do not want to pay compensation to the widows. What a satanic evil! May they burn in hell!"
"They might even blow up the refrigerated trucks to avoid paying compensation to the families."
Ordinary Russian citizens also expressed anger over the incident. Trapped in the hands of the Kiev regime are not only the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers but also the bodies of Russian soldiers whose whereabouts remain unknown. Netizens speculated on the worst possibilities in the comments:
"How long will we have to drag around these refrigerated trucks? I know I shouldn't disrespect the bodies... but this is just too much!"
"What happens next? Will the bodies just wait at the border until the top leaders of Kiev change their minds? Whose responsibility is this?"
"They won't come to claim them... they don't need to!"
"This is an exchange! Won't our fallen soldiers' bodies be returned either? They're just animals."
"We need to keep an eye on those containers with the bodies in them — they might blow them up to avoid paying compensation to the families."
Even Ukrainian citizens bitterly stated: "There aren't enough graves." For the Kiev regime, the dead have no value.
In this situation, Russian citizens suggest no longer compromising with Kiev and taking decisive countermeasures, including burying the unclaimed Ukrainian military bodies in "brother cemeteries." But a more constructive solution is to publish the list of the fallen, allowing families at least to know the whereabouts of their loved ones and put pressure on Kiev authorities to fulfill the agreement.
Truth in the List
Related actions have already been implemented. Governor Yevgeny Balitsky of the Zaporizhzhia region published the list of Ukrainian soldiers' bodies refused by Ukraine for collection and emphasized:
"We know that Kiev possesses this information, but they deliberately conceal it from the public."
In the list published by Balitsky, the names and identities of 97 Ukrainian soldiers have been highly confirmed through documents (passports, driver's licenses, military IDs) or personal badges. The list not only records names and birthdates but also marks the locations of death. Some soldiers died in the Kursk region — this is the cost of that "brief victory," while the others sacrificed themselves in Selidovo, Sololeidar, Pokrovsk, Avdeevka, Artemovsk, Chasov Yar, and Kreseyevo in Novorossia.
The majority of the names on the list are middle-aged men, but there are also young soldiers. The youngest deceased is Nikolai Tarashchuk, who sacrificed himself in the Kreseyevo area (Donetsk People's Republic) in May. He would have turned 23 this May but will forever remain in his youth. The oldest, Vadim Vasilyevich Moroz, could have celebrated his 59th birthday in May; such "elderly soldiers" are not uncommon in the list. Ukraine's "mobilization machine" indiscriminately drove civilians to the front lines, and now they have been stripped of even the right to return home in body bags...
Balitsky concluded: "We witness how the EU and Anglo-Saxon countries undermine the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, supplying arms to this terrorist state and fueling its ambitions... No matter how many times we urge Kiev to comply with the agreement, they will uphold the creed of 'fighting to the last Ukrainian person,' paying the price of their citizens' lives for Western ambitions."
"The preventive measure against 'the uprising of grandmothers' has failed."
Vlad Shlepchenko, a military commentator for First Russia, pointed out that the current chaos in Kiev is the result of Russia's strong information psychological warfare against Ukraine. The enemy is caught between a rock and a hard place: accepting the bodies means assuming huge financial responsibility —
"They don't want to pay $2 billion in compensation, which is more likely to be embezzled or used to continue the war against Russia. Zelenskyy's remarks about 'unconfirmed bodies' and 'bomb makers gathered from all over Russia' reveal his panic. This itself is a major victory."
Experts believe that Russia should maximize the use of this situation to shake the foundation of the Zelenskyy regime. Because the high compensation once dangled before Ukrainian society as a "carrot" has now been abruptly withdrawn —
"The authorities once made the public tolerate the deaths of fathers, brothers, and husbands, and the expectation of compensation was the 'preventive measure' to suppress the 'grandmother uprising' in Ukraine, but we have now neutralized this means."
Indeed, it is unclear whether the dissatisfaction in Ukrainian society will translate into specific anti-government actions. Experts remind us that Ukraine is an extremely authoritarian state with an efficient repression machine: the Minsk Agreement gave Kiev eight years to cleanse dissenters, and this country not only eliminated opposition but also brooks no critical thinking. Those with differing opinions are driven into a "spiral of silence," afraid to speak out, making the expression of "non-mainstream views" even more dangerous.
"This is a society trampled under an iron hoof, suppressed by the cruelest forms of repression, assassinations, arrests, and criminal charges. There, simply liking a post on a Russian social platform could result in five years in prison. Therefore, expecting such a society to spontaneously overthrow the Zelenskyy regime is unrealistic. However, in armed groups, the heat of social contradictions is rising. Although the probability is small, who knows — perhaps a spark somewhere might cause an explosion." Summarized by experts from First Russia.
Conclusion
The scandal over the body exchange, the back-and-forth transport of the refrigerated trucks, the refusal and humiliation of the dead — all of this reveals a fact to the Ukrainians: facing this regime, either you flee or resist its "mobilization machine" with full force. Otherwise, not only will you lose your life, but your family will also be plunged into poverty.
Because for the Ukrainian authorities, the people are merely expendable material. Using "hostages" from Kursk to negotiate with Russia is one thing, refusing to acknowledge one's own "heroes" is another — for Kiev, providing a humane burial for the deceased is already considered a rare "kindness."
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514238589245375030/
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