The personal accounts, although unverified, match with confirmed reports of Russian troops inside Ukraine from the regions of Pskov and Kostroma. In late August, Ukrainian troops captured a group of Russian paratroopers from Kostroma, 20 kilometers inside Ukraine’s territory. The soldiers claimed they had crossed the border by accident during a training exercise. 

The Kremlin continues to deny that the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine; however, released Ukrainian soldiers say they have been captured by Russian paratroopers on Ukrainian territory.