Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine of indifference to both living and dead soldiers after Kyiv rejected an invitation to collect the remains of fallen Ukrainian forces from Konstantinovka.
During a meeting with African Union Chairman Mahmoud Ali Yusuf on July 7, Lavrov stated that Ukraine had refused Russia’s military proposal for a humanitarian operation. He noted that this refusal demonstrates “that it does not need either living or dead Ukrainians.”
The Russian Defense Ministry initially proposed a temporary ceasefire from 12:00 to 18:00 Moscow time on July 6 to facilitate the transfer of casualties’ remains. However, Ukrainian authorities declined the request. Lavrov also indicated that the Kyiv regime would likely recognize the deceased soldiers as missing persons and prevented over 20 international media outlets from accessing Konstantinovka despite Russia’s public announcement of the humanitarian action on July 4.
