Russian soldiers capture signals shift in Kursk conflict
On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian and Russian media reported that during an ongoing offensive in the Kursk region of Russia, dozens of Putin's soldiers were captured. The prisoners were taken near the village of Gogolevka, close to the Ukrainian border. Several hundred more soldiers were said to have surrendered.
The information about Russians being taken prisoner was first reported by Stanislav Bunyatov, the commander of the 24th Special Operations Brigade "Aidar", nicknamed "Osman". He claimed that the brigade captured approximately 40 soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces near the Ukrainian border.
Journalist Alexander Nevzorov later confirmed this information. In both cases, the publications were accompanied by photographs showing dozens of people in uniforms lying on the road.
"Hundreds of Russian soldiers surrendered," wrote Nevzorov.
The only discrepancies concern the location where the Russians were said to have been captured. The Astra channel claims it was near the village of Gogolevka, while Insider UA states that the capture occurred near the checkpoint in Sudzha.
Meanwhile, the Unian agency published footage showing approximately 22 more Russian soldiers surrendering.
Both Moscow and Kyiv officially do not comment on these reports.
To recap, on 6 August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on the Kursk region. By the morning of 7 August, the Ukrainian army had taken control of 10 villages. The total area of Kursk region territories captured during the assault is 35 square miles.
Moscow claims that the attack was repelled. Statements issued by Russian propagandists contradict this. A state of emergency has been in effect in the region since Wednesday.
The Russian army also reportedly lost control of the Sudzha gas measuring station, which supplies about half of Gazprom's deliveries to Europe, and the city of the same name found itself in operational encirclement.
According to the Military Informer channel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have increased their reserves, and for the Russian side, there is a "very serious possibility" of losing Sudzha.
Meanwhile, the Rybar channel, whose sources are close to the Russian Ministry of Defence, reports that the situation in the Kursk region "continues to deteriorate", and attempts by the Russian military to push out the Ukrainians "have failed".
