Soldiers of the 80th Air Assault Brigade captured 26 Russians in one battle in the Kursk oblast.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on this.

It is reported that the POWs are former Russian prisoners from the Storm Z unit, who were captured after a failed attempt to storm Ukrainian positions.

The 80th Separate Galician Air Assault Brigade shared on Telegram an interview with Russian POWs who complained about deception during the signing of the contract and poor training.

One of the POWs said that after signing the contract, the training period was only 9 days. During this time, they were taught basic things such as how to shoot a rifle and throw grenades.

Former prisoners from Storm Z were thrown into the combat zone without the cover of artillery and equipment, although, according to the prisoners, the command promised them full support.

According to the POWs, they managed to fight for only 4 days, during which they were hiding in the forest from Ukrainian drones and other means of destruction.

One of the prisoners of war said that as a result of the clashes with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, only about thirty of the more than a hundred infantrymen remained, all the rest were either wounded or dead.

The POWs assume that the command threw them into the assault to divert the attention of Ukrainian troops from more promising formations.

In addition, they claim that there is no way to retreat because there are blocking units behind them that do not allow them to leave their positions.

The Storm Z fighters were instructed not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, claiming that there were no Ukrainians among them, only foreign mercenaries. They were also advised to detonate a grenade and take their own lives if captured.

Moreover, according to the captured Russian soldiers, they’re not receiving the promised payments from the Russian Federation.

On October 2, Militarnyi reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two laws that exempt such defendants from criminal prosecution if they agree to serve in the military during mobilization or wartime.