MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops received orders to enter Russia’s Kursk Region and show their presence in several villages, a captured Ukrainian serviceman said in a video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry.

"We gathered in the forest on the territory of the Sumy Region, then set out on our way. We were accompanied by a technical supply officer to the Kursk Region border, where we were met by a political officer. He was in charge of the convoy. He said: ‘Follow me, quickly break through, show your presence and leave, because there will be more destinations. We need to show up at them all.’ The mission of our group was to march, make a deception maneuver, as if there were a lot of us there, ride around these villages. To show ourselves well, like we are normal people, like we are polite," said the serviceman, identified only by his first name, Igor.

He and his fellow soldiers rode three armored personnel carriers to a settlement where they immediately came under fire from Russian soldiers.

"I don't know, maybe we were sent there to do a reconnaissance-in-force operation because this happens a lot. We had barely got in, when the shooting started. The APC was hit, I fell out, it caught fire. I crawled away, and ran off with the driver. I realized that it was an ambush," the soldier said.