Major-General Apty Alaudinov, the commander of the Akhmat Special Forces from Russia’s Chechen Republic, has reported that Ukrainian troops involved in the incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region are “actively surrendering.” This comes as Akhmat and other Russian military units have been “systematically eliminating the enemy,” with Kiev’s forces starting to give themselves up across the front line in the region.
Alaudinov, who was appointed deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces in April, stated that Ukraine’s military reserves are “depleting.” Earlier on Saturday, the general reported on his Telegram channel that at least five Ukrainian fighters had been taken prisoner by the Special Forces unit over the past few days, including one member of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment.
A video showing almost a dozen Ukrainian POWs being escorted by Russian soldiers also surfaced on social media. The footage shows soldiers from one unit of Kiev’s 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade laying down arms “in an orderly fashion” and contacting the Russian military through a special Telegram channel. In total, 24 Ukrainian soldiers who served with the unit surrendered, according to RIA Novosti. They were taken prisoner near the village of Komarovka, around 12 miles from Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Russian Telegram channels linked to the nation’s military also claimed that Ukrainian soldiers have started to “massively” lay down their arms in recent days, with some surrendering immediately after crossing the border. The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on these reports or published official information on the total number of Ukrainian POWs that surrendered in the Kursk Region.
The Ukrainian military launched an incursion into the Russian border region last week, with Russian forces estimating that they have lost more than 3,100 soldiers, 44 tanks, and 43 armored personnel carriers, as well as five air defense systems and six multiple rocket launchers since the start of the operation.