Russian soldiers that fled women's prison when surrounded by Ukrainian forces given awards for "courage and valour"
Russian soldiers who had been holding positions at a women’s prison in the village of Malaya Loknya, Kursk Oblast, but retreated under pressure from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, have received orders and medals "for courage and valour".
Source: Alexei Smirnov, acting Governor of Kursk Oblast, on Telegram; Astra Telegram channel
Details: Smirnov said the women's prison was being defended by a motorised rifle battalion of the Northern Grouping of Forces and border guards.
He claimed that the Russians had held the prison despite being surrounded and attacked by superior Ukrainian forces with Marder and Stryker infantry combat vehicles.
According to Smirnov, the Russian soldiers "turned the buildings of the institution into a fortress", erected defensive structures along the perimeter, and "heroically held their positions for several days".
Astra said the Russian soldiers eventually retreated when a Ukrainian tank destroyed buildings on the territory of the prison and it no longer made sense to hold them.
Previously: On 23 August, it was reported that Ukrainian forces had stormed a women's prison building in Russia’s Kursk Oblast where Russian soldiers had entrenched themselves and set up firing positions.
Background:
- Ukraine launched the Kursk offensive on 6 August. On 10 August, day five of the Ukrainian forces’ advance into Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine was undertaking operations to bring the war to Russia.
- On 13 August, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, informed Zelenskyy that Ukraine’s defence forces controlled 74 settlements in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. By the afternoon of 15 August, Syrskyi reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had advanced up to 1.5 km on some axes in Kursk Oblast since the beginning of the day and controlled 82 settlements in Russia.
- On 15 August, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) told Ukrainska Pravda that 102 Russian soldiers had been captured by SSU forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
- On 16 August, Ukraine's Air Assault Forces shared footage of the first few hours of the operation in Kursk Oblast. The video shows demining operations, the breach of the Russian border by Ukrainian forces, the destruction of Russian defence lines, air and artillery operations, and prisoners of war being captured.
- Later that same day, the 80th Air Assault Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces shared footage from the early hours of the military operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast showing its soldiers breaching the defence line, destroying a border checkpoint and capturing over 50 prisoners.
- As of 20 August, Ukrainian forces controlled more than 1,260 sq km of territory and 93 settlements in Kursk Oblast, Russia.
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