Holding the line: Scenes from Ukraine's frontlines as ceasefire talks fade

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A member of the White Angel unit of Ukrainian police officers who evacuate people from the frontline towns and villages, accompanies residents during an evacuation, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, April 12. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov

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Daily Mirror

3 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Putin sends his own dead soldiers to Ukraine in 'disdain for fallen troops'

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia repatriated at least 20 of its own dead soldiers in recent exchanges with Ukraine - 'they threw the corpses of their citizens at us,' he said Vladimir Putin's Russia has been handing over its own deceased troops to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Zelensky said the bodies of 20 Russian soldiers had been received. The exchange had been agreed in the early June talks between Ukraine and Russia. It saw Ukraine receive the bodies of 6,057 of its soldiers, while Russia said 6,060 bodies had been transferred to Ukraine and that the remains of 78 of its own soldiers were repatriated. ‌ It is not clear why there is such a large difference between the number of exchanged bodies, but Russia may have been able to recover its own dead following small territorial gains. The process was monitored by members of the Red Cross. ‌ "It has already been confirmed during repatriations that the bodies of 20 people handed over to us as our deceased soldiers are Russian," Zelensky said, describing it as a result of Moscow's disorganisation in carrying out large swaps of wounded POWs and remains of troops.. He said the Russian side insisted the dead were all Ukrainians, adding "Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports". 'They threw the corpses of their citizens at us. This is their attitude toward war, toward their soldiers. And this is already documented. Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports,' he said. One of the bodies is an ' Israeli mercenary' fighting for Russia, Zelensky said. It comes after Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the body of a Russian soldier being handed to Ukraine showed how Russia "treats its people with contempt". Mr Klymenko said that one of the bodies, labelled 'No. 192/25', was identified as Alexander Viktorovich Bugaev. Bugaev, born in 1974, was carrying a Russian passport and was dressed in a Russian military uniform. Officials also found a military ID that said he had served in the 1st Battalion of the 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, the Kyiv Independent reported. ‌ 'This is yet another proof of how Russia treats its people with contempt, throwing their bodies onto the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers," Klymenko said. He said that Bugaev's family had been searching for him for months. The minister also said that Russia had located his remains after he went missing amid fighting close to the village of Novomykhailivka in Donetsk, but they chose to 'dump' his body. "This shows how little human life means to Russia,' said Klymenko. 'Or maybe it's just a way to avoid paying compensation to the families. But they will have to pay anyway: we are returning these bodies." As the was continues to rage in Ukraine, a total of 77 combat clashes between the two sides were recorded today, according to an update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a Facebook post.

Metro

11 hours ago

• Metro

One of Putin's cannibal soldiers 'killed comrade to eat him for two week'

One of Vladimir Putin's troops may have eaten his comrade before being killed himself on the frontline in Ukraine, it is claimed. A recording released on Telegram by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) suggests that a soldier – with call sign 'Brelok' -lived off his fellow's remains for two weeks. The victim, 'Foma', was reported missing by his Russian command, but it was later discovered that the cannibal had killed him for food. A Russian commander from a reconnaissance unit from 68th Motorized Rifle Division can be heard detailing the horrors one of his subordinates. He says: 'Nobody ran away. Brelok took him out and then ate him for two f**king weeks.' The cannibalism is alleged to have happened near the villages of Zapadne and Lyman Pershyi, in the eastern region of Kharkiv. The intercepted speaker adds that the cannibal was later discovered dead himself. The commander is heard saying: 'They say he was a 200 (military slang for a killed soldier), f**k. 'Well, he ate his comrade, so that's something to think about.' Ukrainian intelligence agencies have repeatedly intercepted calls that highlight extreme psychological stress, infighting, and disregard for human life among Russian troops. More Trending Previous recordings released by HUR and its 'I Want to Live' project have documented executions, looting, and troops begging to surrender. A mass recruitment of Russian prisoners started in the summer of 2022 -led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, once the head of the Wagner private paramilitary group. Prisoners were offered a clean record, full pardon and allowed to go home after six months on the battlefield, even if they were convicted of some of the most violent crimes, like murder and rape. This is how multiple jailed cannibals were reportedly pardoned by Russian authorities and released to fight on the frontline. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Putin unleashes wave of ballistic missiles at residential buildings in night of hell for Kyiv MORE: Putin calls Trump to say 'happy birthday' but there was 'no time to talk about Ukraine' MORE: Moment one of Putin's warplanes crashes after wing falls off during bombing raid

Metro

a day ago

• Metro

Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov claims to have over 100 children

A Russian-born billionaire has claimed to have fathered more than 100 children, and said they will all share his £10,000,000,000 fortune. Pavel Durov, 40, became a billionaire after creating the messaging app Telegram, but has now told French media that despite being the 'official father' of six, he has more than 100 others. He said he began donating sperm 15 years ago to help a friend, who revealed more than 100 babies were conceived by him in 12 countries. 'They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death,' he told Le Point. His plethora of children might be promised part of his fortune, but they won't be able to access it for 30 years, he added. 'I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account,' Durov added. Pavel Durov was born to Russian parents in St Petersburg on October 10, 1984. He attended St Petersburg State University before creating 'Russian Facebook'. Durov founded the so-called Russian Facebook – named VK – as well as Telegram messenger, which is used for communications by both sides in the Ukrainian war. Durov left Russia in 2014, just a year after setting up the encrypted messaging app with his brother, due to pressure from Russian security services. Durov's fortune is estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion. He's been living in self-imposed exile since 2014, basing himself out of Dubai, France, St Kitts, and other countries. Durov made headlines last year when he was banned from leaving France after he was charged with allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app Telegram. More Trending It was alleged that Pavel Durov's platform is used for child sex abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to cooperate with investigators when legally required. One investigator told AFP they were surprised Durov entered France despite the warrant against him, adding 'enough of Telegram's impunity'. Russia, however, has branded the arrest as politically motivated and proof of a double standard on freedom of speech in the West. But this has raised some eyebrows, given that Russian authorities have tried to ban Telegram, and Durov has been in self-imposed exile since 2014 due to conflicts with the Russian government. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Russia 'upgrades' its nuclear sites closest to the UK MORE: All 9 countries on the UK Foreign Office 'no go' travel list MORE: Putin's dirty new war tactic revealed in grim photos