Large number of Russian captives surprised Ukrainians: "We're taking them out several times a day"

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Ukraine's invasion of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation has added a record number of prisoners to the exchange fund. These are mainly young conscripts.

According to Sky News, the Russian prisoners are being held in cells with bunk beds. Some are between 19 and 21 years old. The prisoners told a journalist about the shock they experienced when Ukrainian troops attacked the Kursk region. They said that everything happened very quickly and they simply surrendered.

The men said their families do not know what happened to them. The captives hope to be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war soon.

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, president Vladimir Putin insisted that conscripts were not being sent to the front lines. However, mostly young conscripts and limited units of border guards held the defense of the Kursk region. Behind them, "Kadyrovites" were hiding.

A small number of prisoners in the cells were wounded during the invasion. A Ukrainian officer who was in charge of transporting detainees from the battlefield to Ukrainian holding facilities said that all those who were wounded were receiving medical care.

"First, we assess their psychological state to see how prepared they are to continue the journey," said the officer, who wished to remain anonymous.

"We also check prisoners who were injured either from combat wounds or from improper handling of weapons. After that, we provide escort services. During the escort, we transport wounded fighters to civilian hospitals, where they receive special medical care to stabilize their health before further transfer to prisoner of war detention centers," the source added.

The officer said he had been very busy because his command had handed over several hundred prisoners since the start of the Kursk offensive.

"The capacity of the convoy does not allow for the transportation of large groups at once, so we have to make several trips, observing all the protocols," he said.

A prison official said it had accepted more than 200 prisoners of war in just over a week.

"They are changed, washed, and then distributed among cells. Then law enforcement agencies conduct filtration processes. If everything is checked, the persons are sent to camps. In these camps, other prisoners of war are kept, where they await exchange," said an officer who identified himself as Vadim.

When asked whether there were plans to exchange the people captured by Ukraine for Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Russian side, the officer replied: "Well, of course. All prisoners of war must be exchanged."

In addition, one of the authors of this material, Ukrainian journalist Azad Safarov, published a comment on Facebook from a Ukrainian officer who is involved in transporting prisoners from the Kursk region. According to the military man, the scale of the capture is astounding.

"I sleep 2-3 hours a day. We take out Russian prisoners several times a day. We arrive with only 7-8 places left, and they ask us to take 15 more. I have not seen so many Russian prisoners even during the Kharkov operation in 2022" - officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine