MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities do not want to get back the bodies of fallen soldiers of Kiev’s army because they are unwilling to pay compensation to the families of the deceased and fear a decline in public morale, Anna Skorokhod, a member of the Verkhovna Rada – the Ukrainian parliament – said.
"Recalling backroom conversations, I can say that <…> our people do not want to take [the bodies]," she said in an interview with former Rada member Igor Mosiychuk, who is on Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists.
When Mosiychuk asked why the authorities were reluctant to do so and suggested it was about money and payments, Skorokhod replied: "Money is a political issue because it shows that the losses they present to us are lies. It is also a social issue, because when people see so many bodies being returned, they become even more negative about mobilization."
The lawmaker also said Ukraine is reluctant to exchange prisoners of war. "We also have problems with the exchange of POWs because, by and large, this has turned into a business, and we are playing a big game against this backdrop. Although the exchange process could be conducted in an apolitical manner, unfortunately no high-ranking officials in this country want that," she said.
Earlier, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow had handed over 1,000 bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev and received 35 bodies of Russian servicemen in return.