Bangladesh, June 8 -- In a highly charged diplomatic clash, Russia has accused Ukraine of committing a form of “self-inflicted genocide” by failing to retrieve the bodies of thousands of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. The accusation comes after a recent attempt by Moscow to return over 6,000 remains in what it labeled a “humanitarian gesture,” only to be met with what Russia describes as a deliberate snub by Kyiv.

The attempted handover was initiated following discussions between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2, where both sides engaged in tense but necessary talks amid the ongoing war. Moscow, through its top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, announced that it had unilaterally agreed to repatriate...