RUSSIA handed over 20 bodies it claimed were Ukrainian defenders – but they were actually its own dead troops, says Zelensky.
It comes as Russian ally Belarus freed its top jailed opposition leader and other political prisoners – after Trump’s envoy met the ex-Soviet state’s iron-fisted leader.
20 ‘Ukrainian’ bodies recently handed over by Russia have in fact been Russian, says Zelensky[/caption]
Some of the bodies even have Russian passports on them[/caption]
Russian prisoners of war on a bus in Belarus[/caption]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed Russia’s grim body-swap blunder on Saturday, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
He said: “They (Russia) told us these were only Ukrainians and only service members.
“But that’s a lie, now documented. In some cases, these bodies even have Russian passports on them.
“They can’t even check who they’re sending. We certainly want all of our warriors and the bodies of our heroes back.
“But we definitely do not want Russians being handed over simply for the sake of quantity.”
Meanwhile, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a prominent Belarusian opposition leader, was freed from jail along with 13 other political prisoners on Saturday.
His release came after US special envoy Keith Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the country’s capital, Minsk.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – Tikhanovsky’s wife and also a Belarusian opposition politician – publicly thanked Donald Trump, Kellogg and “all European allies” for securing her husband’s release.
Lukashenko’s press secretary said the prisoners were freed at Trump’s request.
Tikhanovskaya wrote on X: “My husband … is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart.”
She added: “We’re not done. 1150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released.”
Five Belarusian nationals, along with Japanese, Polish and Swedish citizens, were also released, according to Tikhanovskaya’s office.
The Lithuanian foreign minister said on X that the 14 political prisoners were receiving care in Lithuania.
Tikhanovsky was jailed for 18 years in 2021.
The moment Russian strikes shatter residential buildings in Kharkiv, injuring 13 including two children on June 5[/caption]
Ukrainian soldiers fire a Grad multiple rocket launcher towards Russian positions in Donetsk on June 3[/caption]
Russian soldiers fire drones in Lyman on April 24[/caption]
His wife ran in his place and claimed victory – but fled into exile with their kids the day after.
Many Belarusians believe the 2020 election was rigged by Lukashenko’s regime to keep him in power – a position he’s held since 1994.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have fled their homeland since the brutal crackdown on opposition protests in 2020.
Belarus has faced heavy Western sanctions for its brutal crackdown and backing Russia’s war – including allowing Russian troops to use its land and hosting tactical nukes.
Tens of thousands have been arrested in Belarus for political reasons over the past five years, says rights group Viasna.
It comes as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko signed a security agreement in December, finalising the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear arms in Belarus.
The signing followed an amendment in Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which for the first time placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella.
It effectively gives Lukashenko control over the potential use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus in response to aggression.
Putin said in a televised remark: “I’m sure that the treaty will ensure the security of Russia and Belarus.”
After the two leaders signed the pact, Lukashenko asked Putin to deploy the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that Russia used for the first time last month against Ukraine.
