Kremlin reacts to exhumation of remains of Soviet heroes in Ukraine

The exhumation of the remains of Soviet heroes of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) in Ukraine is a reality of the Kiev regime. This statement was made by the Kremlin's official representative, Dmitriy Peskov, on January 15.

On the previous day, the Ukrainian daily Zahid reported that the remains of Soviet soldiers were planned to be exhumed and reburied in Lviv due to the relocation of the Hill of Glory memorial complex. It is specified that first it is planned to move elements of the monument, and then will be investigated and exhumed burials, including the remains of Soviet scout Nikolai Kuznetsov.

"This is, unfortunately, the reality of Ukraine, the reality of the Kiev regime, where they exhume the remains of war heroes and glorify Nazis and their servants in every possible way," Peskov said at a briefing.

He noted, among other things, that he was not aware of any proposals or talks about the possibility of exchanging Kuznetsov's remains for captured servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU).

The Kremlin official added that "it is important to prioritize the living". According to him, those making contact are doing everything possible to ensure that the Russian military personnel return home.

Earlier, on December 4, 2024, a bust of twice Hero of the USSR, partisan commander Sidor Kovpak was dismantled in Kiev. According to the Ukrainian edition of "Public. News", the demolition of the monument was carried out within the framework of the so-called decommunization.

Before that, on November 20, it was reported about the demolition of the monument to Soviet scout Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya in the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky in Odessa region. The monument stood in the yard of one of the schools. The mass media pointed out that after the start of the special military operation, Ukrainian activists had repeatedly asked the local authorities to dismantle it. The decision to demolish it was approved in November 2023.

The policy of so-called decolonization was a continuation of "decommunization" in Ukraine, which began to be carried out since 2015 within the framework of the law "On condemnation of communist and Nazi regimes". It prescribes demolishing monuments, dismantling memorial plaques, and renaming all topographical objects whose names are associated with the USSR or Russia. This policy became especially acute after the start of the Russian Federation's special operation to defend Donbass in February 2022.