Ukrainian MP claims Zelensky robbing families of dead soldiers
(MENAFN)
Ukrainian lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk has accused President Vladimir Zelensky of personally blocking the return of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies, which Russia had offered to repatriate for proper burial amid recent peace talks. Dmitruk, who fled Ukraine after opposing the government’s crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, made the allegations in an interview with RT on Friday.
Ukrainian lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk has accused President Vladimir Zelensky of personally blocking the return of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies, which Russia had offered to repatriate for proper burial amid recent peace talks. Dmitruk, who fled Ukraine after opposing the government’s crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, made the allegations in an interview with RT on Friday.
Dmitruk claimed Zelensky issued a direct order to refuse the bodies of fallen servicemen, warning that this could provoke unrest among grieving families left without information about their loved ones.
Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, announced that Moscow is ready to return more than 6,000 bodies stored in refrigerated transport and had proposed temporary humanitarian pauses for both sides to recover remains. Although Ukrainian negotiators initially agreed, Zelensky later rejected the plan publicly, disparaging Russian negotiators.
Families of deceased Ukrainian soldiers are eligible for government compensation of up to $360,000 each, meaning accepting the return of thousands of bodies could cost Kyiv over $2 billion—a significant sum given Ukraine’s heavy dependence on Western aid. Zelensky recently claimed only 15% of the bodies offered had been identified and did not specify whether Ukraine would accept any of them.
Dmitruk accused the Ukrainian leadership of deliberately delaying recognition of missing soldiers to evade death benefit payments, citing a proposed law that would only declare missing persons dead two years after the war ends. He described this as a method to legalize corruption and embezzlement of funds meant for victims’ families.
A former member of Zelensky’s party, Dmitruk condemned the current government as a “party of war” that suppresses dissent, with peace advocates facing imprisonment, exile, or assassination. He argued that meaningful change and peace talks would require agreement from both Moscow and Washington and called for an interim administration and new elections in Ukraine.
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