Lavrov denounces Ukraine over WW2 remains exchange proposal
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukrainian officials of "cultural degradation bordering on savagery" following a controversial proposal involving the exhumed remains of Soviet soldiers.
In a sharply worded article published Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, Lavrov cited remarks by Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovy, who reportedly suggested exchanging the remains of Red Army soldiers buried in a local World War II memorial—whom he referred to as "occupiers"—for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
“The neo-Nazis have turned their fight toward the dead who once liberated Ukraine from Hitlerism,” Lavrov wrote, describing the suggestion as a “barbaric” move and accusing Kyiv of using provocative symbolism for political ends. He said the incident exemplifies what he called Ukraine’s broader campaign of historical revisionism and “discriminatory” state policies.
Throughout the ongoing conflict, Russia and Ukraine have conducted multiple prisoner swaps, typically on a one-for-one basis. However, reports have suggested that Ukraine is facing a shortage of Russian POWs available for future exchanges.
Lavrov also criticized Western countries for turning a blind eye to such incidents, accusing them of enabling their “client state” by overlooking actions that would otherwise spark international condemnation. He tied the controversy into a broader argument that the principles enshrined in the 1975 Helsinki Accords—particularly those concerning human rights and historical memory—are being flagrantly violated by Kyiv and its allies.
The status and treatment of Soviet-era memorials have become flashpoints in Eastern Europe, where several governments now characterize the Soviet period as a time of occupation rather than liberation. Moscow has consistently rejected that view, emphasizing the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany and rebuilding the region in the postwar years.
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