Deliveries of Bodies: Russia vs Ukraine - Dissecting the Discrepancy
Russia allegedly transfers control of 1200 more deceased individuals to Ukraine - Russia allegedly surrenders control of an additional 1200 deceased individuals to Ukraine.
In a chilling pattern that's unsettling global heads, Ukraine, over the past few days, has received roughly 1,200 bodies each time from its adversary, Russia. While Moscow has acknowledged the receipt of 27 bodies of its own soldiers, the tallies presented by both nations seem to be off base.
As of the latest disclosures, Ukraine has reported receiving large groups of bodies from Russia, as part of exchange deals brokered in Istanbul earlier this month. Some of these exchanges saw Ukraine receiving between 1,200 and 1,248 bodies at a time. In contrast, Russia has communicated the receipt of far fewer bodies, as per Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky's statement, who asserted that Russia received the remains of 27 soldiers in one exchange.
The Backstory
The exchange of prisoners of war and bodies has been the sole tangible outcome of two rounds of talks between representatives of both nations at the beginning of the month. Russia rejected demands for an unconditional ceasefire during the discussions and instead demanded that Ukraine relinquish vast portions of its territory and abandon its NATO membership aspirations.
Potential Reasons for the Discrepancy
- Quantity of Losses and Identification Procedure: Ukraine has experienced substantial military casualties, but independent open-source investigations suggest that Russia may have suffered a far greater number of deaths[1][2]. The intricate process of identifying and confirming the nationality of deceased soldiers can be challenging, particularly in contested zones. Ukraine might only return bodies that it's certain belong to Russian soldiers, while Russia may transfer all remains within its control, including both Ukrainian and others[5].
- Political Considerations: Russia tends to be less transparent about its military losses, often underreporting them for domestic political reasons[2][3]. Admitting to a considerable number of bodies received from the enemy can imply high losses on Russia's own side, a message the Russian government typically tries to steer clear of.
- Exchange Agreements and Logistics: The recent agreements prescribe widespread exchanges, but the actual number of bodies available for return could differ between the two sides due to battlefield control, recovery operations, and the state of remains. There may also be ongoing or pending exchanges, with Russia signaling readiness to transfer thousands more Ukrainian bodies if identified and agreed upon[5].
| Side | Bodies Received (Example Rounds) | Bodies Transferred (Example Rounds) | Total (Recent Deals) ||--------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------|| Ukraine| 1,200–1,248 (each round) | Not always specified | 6,060 received (total) || Russia | 27 (one round), 51 (another) | 1,200–1,248 (each round) | 78 received (total, per Russia) |
In Conclusion
The significant gap in numbers is a result of a combination of higher casualties among Russian forces, selective reporting by Russian authorities, and the complexities of identifying, recovering, and transferring remains. Russian official statements understate the numbers of bodies received to downplay losses, while Ukraine, which is more transparent and has access to a larger number of remains from Russian-held territories, reports much larger transfers[2][3][5].
- Ukraine, despite Russia's assertion of only receiving 27 bodies, has reported receiving large groups of bodies, ranging from 1,200 to 1,248, at a time, potentially indicating a discrepancy in the number of casualties between the two nations.
- The discrepancy in the reported handover of bodies between Ukraine and Russia might be attributed to a combination of political considerations, the complex process of identifying deceased soldiers, and the exigencies of exchange agreements and logistics, with Ukraine being more transparent about the matter compared to Russia.
