Lavrov Slams Ukraine Over ‘Savagery’ in POW Swap Proposal Involving Soviet Remains
By Staff, Agencies
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sharply criticized Ukrainian authorities for what he described as a display of “cultural degradation bordering on savagery,” after a Ukrainian official proposed using the exhumed remains of Soviet soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia.
In an article published Friday, Lavrov denounced an incident involving Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovy, who reportedly suggested offering the remains of Soviet soldiers—removed from a World War II memorial—for a swap involving Ukrainian prisoners of war. The mayor had referred to the deceased as “occupiers,” reflecting a revisionist stance increasingly prevalent in parts of Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
“The neo-Nazis have turned their fight toward the dead who once liberated Ukraine from Hitlerism,” Lavrov wrote, accusing Ukrainian authorities of embracing discriminatory and historically revisionist policies. He further claimed the West is complicit, choosing to ignore such actions to shield its “client state” from scrutiny.
Lavrov’s remarks came in a broader opinion piece marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a landmark Cold War-era agreement designed to promote European security and human rights.
In his essay, Lavrov argued that Western nations have co-opted the principles of the agreement and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE], using both as tools to apply political pressure on post-Soviet states while disregarding the treaty’s original spirit.
He went on to question the continued relevance of the OSCE, suggesting the organization “may no longer have a reason to exist” due to what he views as its politicized and selective implementation of its founding values.
The controversy over Soviet memorials and war dead reflects deeper tensions between Russia and several Eastern European nations, including Ukraine, where post-Soviet governments have increasingly sought to distance themselves from Moscow’s historical narrative. Russia, for its part, continues to emphasize the USSR’s central role in defeating Nazi Germany and rebuilding war-torn Europe.
Moscow and Kiev have engaged in regular prisoner exchanges throughout the current conflict, though reports indicate that Ukraine’s ability to conduct such swaps has been limited by a declining number of Russian POWs in its custody. Lavrov’s condemnation suggests Moscow sees the proposed use of Soviet remains as not only morally unacceptable but as a political provocation.
