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Russian troops capture Ukrainian soldiers in liberating two communities in Kursk area

The personnel abandoned by Ukrainian troops were mostly mercenaries, the Russian air assault battalion commander said

MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Russian troops captured Ukrainian soldiers in liberating the communities of Leonidovo and Aleksandriya in the Kursk Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"Airborne Force assault units seized the communities, using their entire arsenal of small arms. The enemy ran away, abandoning those wounded and dead. A part of militants laid down their arms and surrendered," the ministry said in a statement.

The personnel abandoned by Ukrainian troops were mostly mercenaries, the Russian air assault battalion commander with the call sign Master said.

"The Ukrainian armed forces abandoned mercenaries and left them perish there. Naturally, we withdrew them and handed them over to the corresponding security services," the commander said in a video uploaded by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The basic Ukrainian forces left completely destroyed houses behind them upon their retreat, he said.

"Not a single intact house remained in the community. All the plantings were dug out and there was an abandoned pile of ammunition and large-caliber artillery shells, along with mortars and various equipment, such as Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, M113 armored personnel carriers and other materiel," the commander said.