In the Russian-Ukrainian-Istanbul negotiations earlier this month, the two sides did not reach an agreement on the core issue, but reached a partial consensus on the exchange of some categories of prisoners and bodies of the dead.
In terms of the exchange of dead bodies, according to Ukraine, the two sides will exchange "6,000 for 6,000"; that is, Ukraine will take out 6,000 bodies of the Russian army killed by its own control to exchange for the bodies of the 6,000 bodies of the Ukrainian army killed by Russia.
But netizens who have a basic understanding of the Russian-Ukraine war know that this exchange condition is actually not valid at all, because Ukraine does not have the advantage of the battlefield and the front line has been shrinking. Under this situation, too many bodies of Russian soldiers killed can not be produced.
After all, from November 2024 to May 2025, the two sides conducted eight dead bodies exchanges, and the Ukrainian army could only produce 339 dead bodies of the Russian army, including a small number of civilians.
Russia took out 5,809 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed by its own control, and the proportion between the two sides was seriously unbalanced.
Even in eight exchanges, the total number of Russian bodies that the Ukrainian army could collect was not as high as the number of bodies that the Russian army had handed to the Ukrainian army at least once.
Under this situation, it is impossible for Ukraine to take out 6,000 bodies of Russian soldiers at one time.
So since you don’t have this condition at all, how can you reach a consensus with Russia?
It is very likely that Ukraine underestimated the Russian army's control over the battlefield, believing that in the first half of the year, it had already produced nearly 6,000 bodies of the Ukrainian army that were killed; then the Russian army could not have held 6,000 bodies of the Ukrainian army.
Since neither side can produce it, I simply quarrel with the Russian side to show reciprocity.
But I didn't expect that the battlefield advantages held by the Russian army were enough to ensure that it carried out sufficient battlefield cleaning, so I really had a large number of bodies of the Ukrainian army killed.
So when the Russian army really came to exchange, the Ukrainian side was panicked.
After all, Ukraine officially recognized that only 40,000 to 50,000 people were killed, but as a result, there were tens of thousands of bodies killed by the Russian army alone, which made it difficult to conceal the long-term low-injured war damage.
In addition, Ukraine's death pension is very high, reaching 15 million hryvnia (about 362,000 US dollars); in addition, the families of the dead will also enjoy other subsidies and benefits.
The treatment standards are high, which is naturally a good thing for the families of the dead; but the standards are too high, which is difficult to implement.
Therefore, the Ukrainian army has strict conditions for identifying the identity of the dead, or even if they agree to be killed, there are still many clauses to restrict the claim of pensions.
So the Russian-Ukraine War lasted for more than three years, and Ukraine admitted that it was only 40,000 to 50,000 people died in battle, and the actual pension was even less, and it was not fully paid.
Other Wu army who died in battle can be shirked to their missing identity, or even the formal identification of missing is not given, and it is directly in a state of chaos.
From the chaos state to the condition required to determine the disappearance, from the disappearance to the death, it is even more troublesome. Because the Ukrainian court stipulates that the court can declare death two years after the end of the war; even if there is other evidence, it must not be earlier than 6 months.
But if Russia directly sends the bodies of the Ukrainian army to the door, it will be difficult to fool it. After all, the bodies are all here, and even if the identification is carried out, there will always be a realistic basis.
But Ukraine's pension is very high, and the more than 5,800 bodies I had to be given more than 2 billion US dollars in the past; this time it was 6,000, which would be more than 2 billion US dollars; in addition to the direct payment, the subsequent aftermath matters were also relatively cumbersome.
So when Russia transports the first batch of 1,212 bodies to the Russian-Ukraine border, you will not accept Ukraine; and when you hear that Russia has 3 trains and 1 carriage each carry 1,200 bodies of Ukraine soldiers who died in each case, it is naturally even more troublesome.
So the current problem is facing Ukraine:
First: If these dead bodies are received, then subsequent identity determination, pension payment, and aftermath measures must be taken;
Second: If these bodies are not accepted, then they will fall into a disadvantage in propaganda and public opinion, which will easily cause the hearts of soldiers on the front line.
Faced with this dilemma, the Ukrainian government needs time to come up with countermeasures, so it can only try to refuse for the time being. As for whether it will be charged in the future, it depends on the pros and cons.
