Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers in what appears to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities said law enforcement agencies and forensic experts will identify the victims, who will then be handed to family members for burial. The war is believed to have killed tens of thousands of soldiers on each side, though there are no official or independently collated figures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week disclosed parts of his so-called ‘victory plan’ aimed at compelling Russia to end the war through negotiations. That proposal is being considered by Ukraine’s Western partners, whose help is vital for Kyiv to resist its bigger neighbor.