Russian troops surrender en masse as Ukrainian Forces push deeper into Kursk region

Fierce fighting continues in the Kursk region of Russia. Ukrainian Telegram channels are publishing videos of Russian soldiers surrendering.

“The process of capturing Russian prisoners from the border-covering group near the ‘Sudzha’ checkpoint. The work of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade and the ‘Nachtigall’ battalion of the 14th separate air force regiment,” commented the Ukrainian public channel ‘Nikolaevsky Vanek’ on the related video.

Uawire media outlet says that the Ukrainian state project for locating Russian soldiers, “Hochu Nayti,” noted that the captives include conscripts, mobilized troops, and contract soldiers. “There is also information about the deceased whose bodies were not retrieved by their comrades during the retreat,” stated the project.

According to the Russian news outlet ASTRA, drone footage of the captives shows them in the area of the village of Gogolevka, near the Ukrainian border.

Russian Z-bloggers report that Ukrainian forces have entered at least two administrative centers. The “Two Majors” Telegram channel states that there were battles around the “Sudzha” checkpoint throughout the night. “In the morning, the border guards called artillery fire on themselves. They have not been heard from since,” indicated the Z-public channel.

Videos of a captured Russian conscript from the Kursk region have also surfaced. “I was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces while crossing the border,” says one soldier. When asked about command, he answered, “They abandoned us; if we die, we die.”

Reports also suggest that Ukrainian forces broke through two lines of defense in the Kursk region within 20 hours. Russia spent $150 million over 2.5 years building these fortifications.

Close to this checkpoint is the ‘Sudzha’ gas pumping station, previously captured by Ukrainian forces. This station is the only route for gas supplies to Europe.