The remains of 503 killed soldiers were repatriated to Ukraine, according to kyiv, while Moscow for its part cites the figure of 42 Russian soldiers returned.
In the midst of war, Moscow and kyiv continue to negotiate prisoner exchanges, but also the restitution of bodies of killed soldiers. The Ukrainian coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war announced this Friday, December 20, that the bodies of 503 Ukrainian soldiers killed in combat had been returned. For his part, to the Russian media RBC, Duma deputy Shamsail Saraliev, representative of the parliamentary group for the coordination of military operations, gave the figure of 42 bodies of Russian soldiers returned.
Neither kyiv nor Moscow has officially confirmed or denied the number given by the other side. If the Russian media mention the figure of “503 Ukrainians”the Ukrainian media do not repeat that of “42 Russians”. “A Duma deputy would not take the risk of misinformation on such a subject”observe au Figaro a fine connoisseur of Russia. The ratio of 1 Russian for 12 Ukrainians, very far from the ratio of losses that can be calculated from sources like «UAlosses» (66,000 confirmed deaths on the Ukrainian side) and «Mediazona» (82,000 confirmed deaths on the Russian side), may be surprising.
No correlation with the human toll
More “there is no correlation between the number of deaths and the restitution of bodies”estimates Figaro a French military source. Indeed, it is the Russians who are currently advancing along the entire front line. Therefore, they are the ones who collect the bodies, whether Russian or Ukrainian.
Already last month, two exchanges of bodies of killed soldiers took place between Russia and Ukraine. The numbers were quite similar: 563 Ukrainians against 37 Russians on November 8, then 502 Ukrainians and 48 Russians on November 29. In November, the site «UAlosses» recorded the identification of 937 Ukrainian combat deaths. “These exchanges by more than 500 seem to indicate a significantly higher real volume of deaths”observes a senior French officer. On the Russian side, «Mediazona» identified more than 2,500 deaths in November. “Masters of the terrain, the Russians keep the corpses”specifies the same source.
