Cost Of War

The 49 members of the 25th Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade never had a chance. On June 14, they volunteered to replace soldiers on the front, taking fresh supplies with them. But they all were killed when Kremlin-backed separatists shot down their transport plane  with two Igla man-powered, air-defense systems on the approach to Luhansk Airport.Family members will be able to mourn their fallen sons, fathers and husbands after Kremlin-backed insurgents agreed to let the military take the bodies through hostile territory. During a temporary ceasefire on June 18, pro-Russian gunmen met with Ukrainian military personnel on a bridge in Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast. Several trucks with the bodies were allowed to cross. On June 19, the slain soldiers were taken to Dnipropetrovsk for identification.

Memorial services have been held all over the country to mourn the bloodiest day yet in the war.  People brought flowers to memorials in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kryvi Rih and other cities.