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Russia returns British volunteer troops to Ukraine

Russia returns British volunteer troops to Ukraine

The bodies of two British volunteers killed in eastern Ukraine in January have been found as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said the bodies of Chris Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 47, had now returned to Ukraine, reports the BBC

No indication has been given as to when they will be handed over to British embassy staff to be sent home.

The men's families said they were killed during a humanitarian rescue. The two volunteers were last seen going to the town of Soledar on January 6.

Soledar had been the focus of intense fighting and last month the Russian military claimed to have captured the Ukrainian salt mining town after a long battle. The government in Kiev disputed the claim.

Despite ongoing fighting in Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's chief of staff, said 116 Ukrainian soldiers had been freed on Saturday.

He said the released prisoners included defenders of Mariupol, partisans from Kherson and snipers from Bakhmut, as well as two personnel from special operations.

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