Ukraine has apparently captured at least 247 Russian soldiers since its incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast began on Aug. 6, according to the Washington Post (WP) analysis of visual evidence.
The outlet reviewed over 130 photos and videos, mostly filmed by Ukrainian soldiers and shared on social media, along with images taken by a WP photographer at a prison in Ukraine housing Russian prisoners of war. The verified footage supports Ukrainian claims of mass captures during the incursion.
The Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
Some captured troops identified themselves as conscripts, which presents a politically sensitive issue for Russian President Vladimir Putin, analysts suggest.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a video of Russian soldiers surrendering en masse like that," Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the WP. She added that the soldiers appeared to be inexperienced conscripts rather than battle-hardened troops.
The visuals depict prisoners being taken across locations spanning more than 22 kilometers (14 miles) on Russia’s side of the border with Ukraine.
In seven videos verified by the WP, the captured soldiers identify themselves as conscripts—men aged 18 to 30 serving a mandatory year of military service. These conscripts are unpaid, poorly trained, and while Putin has promised they wouldn't be sent into combat, Russian law does allow it if they’ve completed four months of basic training.
"Having conscripts in combat undermines the social contract between Russian families and the government that has held under Putin’s leadership since 1999," said Massicot.
Several videos, filmed just half a mile inside Russia in the village of Sverdlikovo, show at least 29 captured Russian soldiers. Surrounded by armed Ukrainian soldiers, they march north along a small road, their arms raised above their heads. A drone captures the scene as they walk, flanked by trees and residential buildings on one side.
Near the Sudzha border crossing, multiple videos document the capture of at least 40 Russian soldiers. Sudzha, a village with a population of around 5,000 people is located less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian military, which shared the footage on its official channels, said that the operation was carried out by its 80th Air Assault Brigade, with support from artillery and heavy armored vehicles.
Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian government has disclosed the number of Russian soldiers captured so far during the Kursk offensive.
Dmytro Basmat
