Ukrainian military unit surrenders to Russia in Kursk province

“24 soldiers of the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrendered to the Russian military in an organized manner near the village of Komarovka in the Kursk direction. Before surrendering, the Ukrainian military contacted us via the Telegram channel FREE_SOLDIER2022,” Sputnik (Russia) quoted a Russian law enforcement official as saying.

On the same day, Major General Apty Alaudinov - Deputy Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, Commander of the Akhmat Special Task Force said that the Russian army is suppressing Ukraine's breakthrough attempts in the Kursk region day and night.

“The situation is completely under control. The enemy is trying to break into our territory day and night. All these attempts have ended with many soldiers killed and much equipment burned. That is why we are destroying the enemy’s reserves,” he said.

In the latest development, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Ukrainian military of using Western-made ammunition for the first time to bombard civilian infrastructure in Russia's Kursk on August 16. This is the latest escalation by Kiev since it sent troops into the area. Previously, attacks by the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) were only carried out in areas that were formerly part of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kiev had carried out a number of “terrorist attacks against civilian targets on Russian territory”.

“In particular, for the first time, the Kursk region was attacked by Western-made missiles, most likely from an American HIMARS system,” she said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman also stressed that the Ukrainian attack had “completely destroyed” a bridge over the Seim River in the Glushkovsky district, killing volunteers who were helping local residents evacuate.

“As we said earlier, all those responsible for these inhumane actions will face severe punishment,” Zakharova warned.

The acting governor of Kursk province, Aleksey Smirnov, also confirmed that the bridge over the Seim River had been destroyed.

Since the start of the Kursk offensive, Russian forces have eliminated at least three HIMARS systems operated by the Ukrainian military, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Earlier this week, the ministry also released a video showing one of its US-made multiple rocket launchers being blown up by an Iskander ballistic missile strike in Ukraine's Sumy region, which borders Russia.

Early on August 6, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia and launched an attack in the Kursk region. Commenting on the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had carried out another large-scale provocation, indiscriminately shelling civilian targets. He warned that the enemy would receive an adequate response in the Russian border areas.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on August 16 that the Ukrainian military had lost at least 2,800 soldiers and hundreds of pieces of military equipment, including 41 tanks and 40 armored personnel carriers. The figures could not be independently verified, and Kiev has not acknowledged such losses.