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Ukraine Announces Capture of 27 Russian Soldiers in Kursk Region
The Ukrainian army announced in a statement on Thursday that it had captured 27 Russian soldiers during military operations in the Kursk region, parts of which have been under Ukrainian control since August 2024.
The Airborne Assault Forces Command stated in a Facebook post that "27 enemy soldiers were captured in recent days during battles in the Kursk region." The post included a video showing the soldiers gathered in what appeared to be a village, where they introduced themselves in Russian in front of the camera.
The statement indicated that these individuals are "officers, sergeants, and soldiers" from various units, originating from different areas of Russia as well as from the occupied and annexed Crimean Peninsula, which Russia took over in 2014.
The statement read: "In a challenging combat situation, they made the right decision: they chose to surrender their weapons, thereby saving their lives. All the wounded received immediate first aid." The statement also urged other soldiers in the Russian army to surrender themselves.
Last August, Ukraine launched a surprise attack in the border region of Kursk, at a time when it was confronting the ongoing Russian military operation that has lasted three years. Kyiv still controls hundreds of square kilometers in Kursk, marking the first time a foreign army has occupied Russian territory since World War II.
Kyiv, along with its allies in Seoul and Washington, confirmed the presence of thousands of North Korean soldiers sent by Pyongyang to bolster Russian forces in Kursk. Ukraine also recently announced the capture of a number of North Korean military personnel in the region and extended a proposal to Pyongyang regarding an exchange deal involving Ukrainian soldiers detained in Russia.
