Russian propaganda has faked a report about “40,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers” in Russia
Russian media outlets and Telegram channels are circulating reports that Russia is allegedly holding the bodies of 40,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers. These reports claim to reference U.S. news outlet Politico and allege that Ukraine refuses to receive the bodies to avoid paying compensation to the soldiers’ families.
This is fake news. Politico has not published any such report. The source of this false story is the Russian outlet Life.ru, which included a link to Politico’s website in its publication, but no such article exists on the site.
Life.ru has previously been known for spreading anti-Ukrainian propaganda. For example, journalists from Ukrinform debunked a fake story by Life.ru claiming that a U.S. city renamed itself from “Odessa” due to the supposedly “Russian” origin of the name.
Additionally, Russian state media outlet TASS is spreading a false story that Ukrainian debt collectors are allegedly contacting Russia to learn the fates of borrowers serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, supposedly hoping for news of their capture or death in order to recover debts.
This, too, is fake news. The article cites unnamed Russian security sources and offers no verifiable references or primary sources.
These fabricated stories are part of a broader information operation targeting Ukraine and are linked to the June 2 agreement reached in Istanbul regarding the repatriation of 6,000 fallen soldiers’ bodies. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) previously warned of such disinformation campaigns surrounding body exchanges.
According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, the agreed exchange is based on a “6,000-for-6,000” model.
In Russia, compensation for a fallen soldier is 5 million rubles. For 6,000 bodies, this would amount to 30 billion rubles.
As a result, the Russian government actively conceals its military losses. The last time Russian officials publicly acknowledged casualty figures was on September 21, 2022, when they reported 5,937 dead. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the actual number of Russian casualties has already reached one million.
Previously, Russian propaganda fabricated a story about mass desertions among Ukraine’s military following Operation Spiderweb.
Andriy Olenin
Source: Russia manipulates agreements on repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies
