320 prisoners of war from Kursk Oblast held in prison in Ukraine's north – NYT

A Ukrainian prison in the country's north has accommodated 320 prisoners of war from Kursk Oblast, 80 percent of whom are conscripts.

Source: The New York Times, citing the prison warden, who asked that his identity be kept secret for security reasons.

Details: The journalists stressed that these figures cannot be verified. The prisoners are now sent to Ukraine's west, away from the fighting.

On Friday, at the time of the journalists' visit, there were 71 prisoners of war in the prison. The prisoners are held in basement cells to protect them from possible airstrikes.

Some prisoners had shrapnel or gunshot wounds.

Prisoners said that they were placed in platoons of about 30 people in concrete or earthen fortifications located about 1.5 km apart along the border. There, they faced a sudden, fierce attack and quickly stopped fighting.

Igor, a 21-year-old prisoner of war who was drafted in December, said that Ukrainian artillery attacks had intensified in the days before the invasion. "We reported to the commanders, but they did not respond," he said. "They said: "Well, we can't do anything about it.""

On the day of the attack, under artillery fire, he tried to hide in a fortification, but it caught fire.

Igor said he and other soldiers ran to the nearest forest. Of his group of 12 who tried to escape to safety, only five survived, he said.

Private Sergei, 20, from Tatarstan, said his platoon commander had led 28 soldiers from their position in a chaotic retreat. They hid in a village house, but Ukrainian soldiers found them. All of the Russians surrendered.

The platoon commander, he said, shouted through the window: "There are conscripts here. We want to surrender."

The newspaper noted that the Ukrainian offensive had stopped far from the border, facing better-trained Russian troops. However, the Ukrainian military is still catching conscripts in Kursk Oblast.

Support UP or become our patron!