Video of Chechen Russian troops "captured deep in rear" is released by I Want to Live project

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — Sunday, 11 August 2024, 23:06

Screenshot: Prisoners of war who say they are from the Chechen city of Grozny.

I Want to Live (Hochu Zhit), a project run by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, has released a video of Russian prisoners of war who say they are from the Chechen city of Grozny. According to the project, they were captured in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Source: Hochu Zhit

Відео державного проєкту "Хочу жить": як стверджується, на ньому полонені бійці "Ахмата", яких захопили в Курській області РФ pic.twitter.com/YNkHGhOakD
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— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) August 11, 2024

Quote: "Raid groups captured these Kadyrovites [pro-Russian Chechen forces led by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – ed.] deep in the rear, far from the border. They say that they tried to flee to avoid being captured, as Ramzan Kadyrov once claimed that members of the Akhmat unit never surrender.

Well, usually they don’t because they hide in the rear, but the situation in Kursk Oblast has unfolded rapidly, and these Akhmat members did not even try to resist."

Details: In the video, several of the captives state that they are from Grozny.

Note: I Want to Live is a Ukrainian state-run project aimed at helping soldiers from the Russian army to safely give themselves up into captivity. The project was launched in September 2022 by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which operates with the support of the Ministry of Defence and Defence Intelligence.

Background:

On the morning of 6 August, the Russians claimed that Ukrainian forces had mounted an attempt to infiltrate Kursk Oblast, Russia. Russian propagandists and military bloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces have secured a foothold in the border area. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin called the situation a "provocation".
Earlier, Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the advance of supposedly Ukrainian forces in two districts of Kursk Oblast and noted that it had moved reserves to the border and was "attacking Ukrainian troops from the air".
On 9 August, Russia’s Ministry of Defence issued a statement on the situation in Kursk Oblast, acknowledging that Ukrainian forces were on the outskirts of the town of Sudzha.
Igor Korpunkov, Mayor of the Russian town of Kurchatov, where the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located, reported that fighting is now taking place a few dozen kilometres away from the town borders, but urged residents not to panic.
A counter-terrorist operation (CTO) regime was imposed in Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod oblasts on the night of 9-10 August. A state of emergency was declared in Kursk Oblast on 7 August, two days after the alleged Ukrainian incursion.
The BBC has reported that as of 11 August, Ukrainian forces have advanced about 30 km deep into Russian territory in Kursk Oblast near the border with Ukraine, and new defence lines have emerged near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.