"Hundreds" of Russian soldiers have so far surrendered during Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 13.
"I would like to thank all our soldiers who replenish the exchange fund. It is very important for our country," Zelensky said in his evening address.
"Hundreds of Russian soldiers have already surrendered, and all of them will be treated humanely. They did not even receive such treatment in their own Russian army," Zelensky added.
Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast began on Aug. 6, and by Aug. 13, Ukraine said it controlled 74 settlements in the region.
Russia's regional authorities claimed on Aug. 12 that Ukraine is in control of 28 settlements in Kursk Oblast, adding that the incursion was up to 12 kilometers deep along a 40-kilometer front.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters on Aug. 13 that "unlike Russia, Ukraine does not seek to seize territory" but wants to "protect the lives of our people."
Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast aims to prevent Moscow from sending additional reinforcements to the front in Donbas and stop Russian cross-border strikes, Tykhyi said.
Asami Terajima
