Ukrainian mayor suggests exchanging Soviet soldiers including ‘Putin’
(MENAFN) Lviv’s mayor has proposed exchanging the exhumed remains of Soviet soldiers—one of whom reportedly shared a name with Russian President Vladimir Putin—for Ukrainian soldiers held as prisoners of war. The idea emerged during the ongoing dismantling of a Soviet-era World War II memorial in the western Ukrainian city.
The move follows Ukraine’s broader “decommunization” initiative, which began after the 2014 political shift in Kiev. The policy has focused on removing Soviet symbols and honoring individuals who historically opposed Russia, including controversial nationalist factions that cooperated with Nazi Germany during WWII.
“The Hill of Glory from the Soviet occupation period in Lviv no longer exists,” Mayor Andrey Sadovy wrote on Telegram, noting that 355 sets of remains had been unearthed “with all due respect to memory.”
“We are ready to trade all these remains for Ukrainian defenders,” he added, referring to soldiers captured by Russian forces. Sadovy also pointed out that among the deceased was a Soviet major named Stepan Putin, highlighting the coincidence of the surname with that of Russia’s president.
It remains unclear whether the mayor's suggestion is a genuine offer or a symbolic gesture. He also mentioned that the remains would be relocated to a different burial site, and artifacts discovered during the excavation would be transferred to Lviv’s “Territory of Terror” museum.
The cemetery itself has a long and complex history, originally serving as a burial ground for Russian soldiers who fell in World War I’s Battle of Galicia. It was later shut down during Polish control, destroyed by Nazi forces during World War II, and finally rebuilt after the war to honor Soviet troops who died liberating Lviv in 1944.
The proposal comes amid ongoing prisoner-of-war exchanges between Ukraine and Russia. Previous negotiations held in Istanbul resulted in Russia returning the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian fighters as part of a unilateral humanitarian act—described by Kiev as “propaganda”—in exchange for 79 Russian bodies, according to statements from Russia’s chief negotiator.
President Vladimir Putin has previously denounced efforts to destroy wartime graves, calling those involved “idiots,” and arguing such actions only reinforce Moscow’s justification for pursuing the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine.
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