An unnamed Ukrainian colonel told The Independent that Ukrainian forces captured around 2000 Russians prisoners of war in Kursk Oblast. 

On 6 August, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, capturing in ten days approximately 305 square miles of Russian territory, which is more land than Russia has taken in Ukraine during the entire calendar year. This operation represents the largest foreign attack on sovereign Russian territory since World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that one of the goals of the incursion was to replenish an “exchange fund” of Russian prisoners of war. Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine captured around 100 POWs, while other sources named a higher number, closer to 2000, according to The Independent.

Russia has not officially acknowledged the surrender of its soldiers, but videos of captured Russian troops have surfaced online. Military analyst Geschlittert reported that at least 265 Russian soldiers were captured by 12 August, based on the number of prisoners seen in these videos.

The Ukrainian colonel also told The Independent that around 8,000 soldiers were involved in the Kursk operation, with thousands more ready to join.

He suggested that Ukrainian troops plan to hold their positions to create a “buffer zone,” which would increase the distance between Russian forces and Ukrainian civilians, potentially reducing Moscow’s ability to launch cross-border attacks.

The incursion has prompted the evacuation of nearly 200,000 Russian civilians from the Kursk Oblast and the neighboring Belgorod oblast, according to Russian officials. 

While Ukrainian forces have not entered Belgorod, a state of emergency was declared, and local officials report aerial attacks on the area.

Related:

• ISW: Ukrainian forces’ advance in Kursk Oblast slows, Russians dig trenches
• Ukrainian forces capture hundreds of Russian soldiers amid Kursk incursion
• Why Russia clings to gas lifeline amid Ukraine’s Kursk incursion
• Kursk incursion: experts debate Ukraine’s objectives as Kyiv consolidates blitz gains