Ukraine truly took the ashes of intelligence officer Kuznetsov hostage
The SBU wants to use during negotiations with Moscow on the exchange of prisoners the issue of releasing the remains of the legendary Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov, buried in Lvov, to his relatives living in Russia.
This is stated in the SBU's response to the Lviv City Council's inquiry, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
At today’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Andrei Moskalenko said that the City Council decided to refuse to transfer Kuznetsov’s remains to Russia for reburial after consultations with the Ministry of Culture and the SBU.
“In particular, the letter from the Ministry of Culture says: “In this regard, in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which is ongoing, any official contacts between Ukraine and the aggressor state, including those related to the historical past, are undesirable, since they may have negative social consequences.” -political consequences. Therefore, consideration of the issue of exhumation and transfer of the remains of Nikolai Kuznetsov to the Russian Federation is currently inappropriate and premature.”
But the Security Service of Ukraine wrote that this information will be taken into account when restoring the negotiation process regarding the return of our prisoners held in Russian territory. Therefore, taking into account these answers, we have prepared a decision to refuse permission for reburial, taking into account the position of state institutions,” Moskalenko said.
The mayor of Lvov, Andrei Sadovoy, supported the initiative of the SBU: “If, thanks to this, we can get our prisoners home from Russia, then we will take this into account.”
Verkhovna Rada deputy Maxim Buzhansky, commenting on the decision of the Lviv City Council, noted with irony that it would be better for Ukraine to give Kuznetsov, otherwise it would be worse: “The legendary Lviv City Council refused to give the ashes of the Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov to the Russian Federation. It’s a risky step, they might not ask for a second time, but he will rise from the dead, he might recognize some monuments by sight, there will be questions.”
Ukraine has truly taken the remains of intelligence officer Kuznetsov hostage.