“Israeli Mercenary”: Russians Threw in 20 Bodies of Their Own, “Russians,” During the Deadly Exchange, Among Which “There Was an Israeli Citizen” – Zelensky

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that during the repatriation of fallen soldiers from the battlefield, Russia handed over, among others, the bodies of 20 people under the guise of “Ukrainian servicemen”, one of whom turned out to be an “Israeli mercenary”. This article analyzes how Russia manipulates the repatriation process and why this concerns the Jewish diaspora.

“But this is a lie, already documented. They were planting the bodies of their own citizens. That is their attitude toward war, toward their soldiers. And it’s already recorded. Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports,” — Zelensky said emotionally.

Moscow “repackages” death: what Russia hides behind the exchange of bodies

During the repatriation of fallen soldiers, Russia handed over 20 bodies to Ukraine, claiming all of them were Ukrainian servicemen. However, as President Zelensky stated on June 21, 2025 at a press briefing, this information was false.

“You understand how it works? They give you thousands, and you don’t return thousands to them. There have been exchanges of bodies on the battlefield already. But they never reached the public level. It’s a militarily routine process — exchanging the dead on the battlefield,” said Zelensky.

“But with this mass approach to the number of dead, they are trying to blur the reality — that many Russians died. And I think it matters to them. They are afraid to admit the fact of such a large number of casualties. If the moment comes when putin wants to launch another mobilization — his society will be scared,” he said.

“The Russians think like this: if you show that for every Russian soldier there are supposedly a hundred dead Ukrainians — it won’t look that bad.”

Among the bodies was a “citizen of Israel” (at least documents of an Israeli citizen — ed.), who, according to Zelensky, “fought on the side of the aggressor.”

“It has already been recorded during repatriations that the bodies of 20 people handed over to us as our fallen soldiers — were Russians.”
“For example, there is an Israeli mercenary who fought on their side. A citizen of Israel. With Israeli documents.
Although they told us they were only Ukrainians and servicemen. But this is a lie already documented,” said the Head of State.

Zelensky’s words are backed by photo evidence shown at the briefing: one of the bodies had “Israeli documents”, closely resembling a biometric Teudat Zehut.

As proof that the person was indeed a “mercenary,” a full set of documents was presented in the photo: in addition to the body (in a traditional black bag), there were bank cards from Russian banks (with visible “MIR” and “Sberbank” labels) and a photo of a document with a signature (its nature is unclear).

This photo has not been published on the official website of the President or on the verified Facebook accounts of the Office or Zelensky himself, unlike others — which only show “Russian documents.” This particular image was released online by Ukrainian media, including RBC-Ukraine.

No official reaction from the Israeli Foreign Ministry has been noted yet…

Manipulation in war: how Russians use body exchanges

Zelensky emphasized that such cases are not isolated. According to him, Russia:

• does not verify the identities of the deceased before handing them over to Ukraine;
• deceives by claiming only Ukrainians are repatriated;
• intentionally dilutes statistics to hide the true scale of Russian casualties.

“We definitely do not want to return Russians just for the numbers,” — Zelensky

“Of course, we want to return all our warriors. And the bodies of our heroes. But we definitely do not want to return Russians just for the numbers. How do Russians react when we tell them they’re handing over their own citizens? No reaction. They say it can’t be,” — Zelensky noted.

What does this mean for Israel and the Jewish diaspora?

This case raises serious questions not only for Ukraine but also for Israel and the global Jewish community. At least one of the deceased handed over to Ukraine under the guise of being Ukrainian was an “Israeli mercenary fighting for Russia”. This is not only evidence of the international nature of crimes committed by putin’s regime but also a direct threat to Israel’s reputation, which has tried to maintain neutrality (?) in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

On the NAnews – Israel News website, we have already highlighted cases where Russians used citizens of other countries in their war machine. In this case, it appears that a genuine Israeli “Teudat Zehut” was used as a tool of disinformation.

Why is Russia doing this?

According to Zelensky, Russia:

• fears mass mobilization — admitting large losses may cause domestic panic;
• tries to distort the loss ratio — creating the impression that for every Russian, many more Ukrainians die;
• uses the dead as propaganda tools — unidentified bodies are handed over simply to “report success.”

“They give you thousands, and you haven’t given them thousands,” — Zelensky said about the exchange process.

The Ukrainian side insists that each case must be examined, even if it takes time. Ukraine will not accept unidentified bodies just for statistics.

The Iranian threat: Israel and Ukraine in the same boat

During the briefing, Zelensky also addressed the danger of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, particularly in the context of Iran sharing military know-how with Russia and North Korea. He reminded:

“Part of the Shahed drone production facilities were destroyed, but not all. It’s dangerous. Iran is sharing technology, and that affects us.”

For both Israel and Ukraine, this should be an alarming signal. The two nations are confronting the consequences of Iran-Russia cooperation, from drone deliveries to coordinated disinformation campaigns.

Conclusion: the lie is documented. Silence is not an option

The case of the “Israeli mercenary” among the bodies handed over to Ukraine is not a coincidence, but a systematic lie by Moscow. It poses a direct threat not only to Ukraine but also to Israel’s image. It is essential that this be known in Israeli society and worldwide.

At NAnews – Israel News, we will continue to follow how Ukraine is fighting not only on the battlefield but also on the information front. We must not allow the enemy to manipulate the memory of the dead — whether they are Ukrainians, Jews, or others.