Ukrainian special forces captured a group of more than 100 Russian soldiers on Wednesday during Kiev's cross-border incursion into the western Kursk region, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine, quoted by "Reuters", said on Thursday.
102 servicemen from the 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia and its unit "Akhmat" (a Chechen special forces formation) are the largest group of soldiers captured at the same time since Russia began its full-scale invasion, the source said.
"They captured and cleared a vast, concrete and well-fortified company fortress on all sides - with underground communications and staff housing, a mess, an armory and even a bathroom," the source said.
Ukraine began its surprise push into Kursk Oblast on August 6 and so far claims to control the territory, which exceeds 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles).
Photos shared by the source show dozens of Russian servicemen sitting or lying on the ground in a concrete bunker with helmets and weapons piled near the walls.
The source said the captured Russian servicemen would eventually be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said this week that he had held talks with his Russian counterpart about a prisoner exchange.
Ukraine and Russia regularly exchange prisoners of war. The last exchange was last month. Ukrainian officials said Kiev had secured the return of 3,405 people from Russian captivity since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.