The prolonged conflict has left Ukraine not only exhausted in terms of manpower but also fallen into a conflict-prone financial spiral.
According to Sputnik, receiving more than 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who died - proposed by Russia to be returned under a humanitarian deal - could cost Kiev an additional $2.175 billion. This is a huge amount of money coming from the compensation policy: Each family of a soldier who died receives 15 million hryvnia (about 362,000 USD).
The problem is not just the cost. The delay in receiving bodies, according to Dr. George Szamuely, a senior fellow at the Institute for Global Politics, also reflects a deep crisis within Ukraine - from lack of space in the morgue, to "political avoidance" in admitting losses.
"If they left their own people in the forest, how bad is the body of a Russian soldier?" - RT war reporter Igor Zhdanov asked.
From Moscow, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said that Russia had fulfilled its commitment under the Istanbul agreement on June 2, ready to return bodies and organize exchanges of prisoners, including young soldiers under 25 and those seriously injured. However, Ukraine suddenly delayed indefinitely, not receiving the bodies or list of prisoners provided by Russia.
On the contrary, Ukraine accused Russia of "playing political games", unilaterally releasing information without going through official negotiations. Without a specific date agreed, Russia acted in a one-sided manner, the Ukrainian Prisoner Coordination Agency denied on Telegram.
However, according to analysts, Kiev's delay could be a deliberate "silent" strategy to avoid admitting too much damage, which could cause psychological and political instability in the country.
If they publicly receive the bodies back, they face the obligation to pay billions of dollars and the backlash of the people, said Dr. George Szamuely.
Russian Sen. Andrey Klimov also said: "The number of bodies mentioned far exceeds the losses that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced to the public. That is exactly the reason why they refuse to accept the bodies.
