An entire Ukrainian military unit is said to have laid down its weapons.
Ukrainian troops participating in Kiev's offensive on Russia's Kursk province began "surrendering continuously" - Major General Apty Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat Special Forces from Russia's Chechen Republic, told RIA Novosti on August 17. local.
The general said Akhmat and other Russian military units had "systematically eliminated the enemy," adding that Kiev forces began surrendering everywhere on the front lines in the region.
General Alaudinov - who was appointed Deputy General Director of the Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces in April - said the Ukrainian army's reserve forces "are running out".
Previously, on August 17, General Alaudinov wrote on his Telegram account that at least 5 Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner by the Special Forces unit in the past few days, including a member of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment.
A video showing nearly a dozen Ukrainian prisoners of war being escorted by Russian soldiers also appeared on social networks. According to RIA Novosti, the video shows soldiers of a unit of Ukraine's 22nd Independent Mechanized Brigade laying down their weapons and communicating with the Russian army through a dedicated Telegram channel.
A total of 24 Ukrainian soldiers serving in the unit surrendered to Russia - RIA reported. According to the news agency, these people were taken prisoner near the village of Komarovka, about 19 km from Russia's border with Ukraine.
The video shows Ukrainian soldiers walking in a line with their hands clasped behind their backs. Russian soldiers armed with assault rifles were escorting them. At least 17 Ukrainian prisoners of war can be seen in the video.
Some Russian military Telegram channels also claimed that Ukrainian soldiers began "massively laying down weapons" in recent days. Some are believed to have surrendered shortly after crossing the Russian border.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has so far not commented on the above information. The Ministry also did not release any official information on the total number of Ukrainian prisoners of war who surrendered in Kursk province.
In the latest statement on the situation in Kurk, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces lost 300 soldiers and 31 heavy equipment in the past 24 hours, including 3 tanks and 1 IRIS-T air defense system. Made in Germany.
The Ukrainian army launched an attack on Russia's border region last week. In total, Ukraine has lost more than 3,100 soldiers, 44 tanks and 43 armored personnel carriers, 5 air defense systems and 6 multiple rocket launchers since the start of the operation, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense. Russia.
Russia accused the Ukrainian army of indiscriminately targeting civilians in its attack on Kursk province . Earlier this week, acting governor Aleksey Smirnov said 12 people were killed and more than 120 injured in the attack. He added that more than 120,000 people have been evacuated from the area.
