SBU captures 102 Russian soldiers in Kursk Oblast – largest number of prisoners taken at one time
SBU special forces captured 102 Russian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. This is the most massive capture of the enemy that was carried out at one time, a source in the SBU told hromadske.
Russian soldiers from the 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the "Akhmat" unit were taken prisoner on August 14 as a result of a special operation conducted by soldiers of the Special Operations Center "A" of the SBU.
They captured and cleared a sprawling, concreted and well-fortified company stronghold from all sides — with underground communications and living quarters for personnel, a dining room, armory, and even a bathhouse.
According to our source, the Russians were not going to surrender: "Provisions and ammunition were more than enough."
Earlier, Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that Ukraine's military operation in Kursk Oblast forced Russia to take the initiative to resume negotiations on the exchange of prisoners.
According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kursk Oblast are taking Russian soldiers prisoner based on the Geneva Convention.
"No one tortures them, no one shoots them, unlike what the Russian Armed Forces are doing in Ukraine," the commissioner stated.
Lubinets added that his office monitors compliance with the rights of Russian prisoners of war. He transmits the information to the ICRC and the UN.
What is happening in Kursk Oblast?
The first unofficial reports of a border breach in Kursk Oblast appeared on August 7. Against this background, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, reported a "large-scale provocation" by Ukraine.
In response, Russia announced an "anti-terrorist operation" in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk oblasts. According to analysts, this wording was chosen in order not to sow more panic among the population. the Russian opposition outlet Verstka wrote that there are currently no plans to introduce martial law in Kursk Oblast in order "not to disturb the people". Although locals are evacuating from the border areas.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the fighting in Kursk for the first time on August 12, saying that 1,000 km² of territory is already under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Washington Post, Ukraine now controls the Sudzha gas measuring station, located approximately 8 kilometers deep into Russia.
In a report to the president on August 13, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Ukrainian military controls 74 settlements in this region, and also completely cleared the city of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, from the enemy.