Ukraine Captures at Least 41 Russian Soldiers From Crimea

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) as well as sources in Crimea report the capture of at least 41 Russian servicemen from the peninsula.

According to information from the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the captured soldiers are likely to be citizens of Ukraine.

“The capture of at least 41 servicemen of the Russian Federation from the occupied Crimea has been confirmed, most of them are probably citizens of Ukraine,” the agency said in a Facebook post.

In addition, the Presidential Representation in the ARC reported the burial of at least 632 soldiers of the Russian army on the occupied peninsula, 475 of whom were probably citizens of Ukraine.

Earlier, Kyiv Post reported that Ukrainian military destroyed Russian ammunition depots and several radar stations in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Elsewhere, Russian soldiers do not seem to be fairing well on the battlefield in other areas of Ukraine either.

On Monday, Ukraine’s military released footage appearing to show Russian soldiers shooting themselves dead during fighting.

In the 9-second clip, three Russian soldiers are seen beside an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP).

Two lie down, while one sits in the middle. At the sixth second, the soldier on the left fires a shot, followed by two shots from the soldier on the right.

The video was released by Ukrainian operational command “Zahid” which claimed it is “not the first case of suicide by the occupiers.”

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Russia Sentences Five Ukrainians for Passing Military Intel to Kyiv

The men were charged with treason and espionage after sharing information on the location and movements of Russian army units that helped the Ukrainian army target aerial strikes.

The command did not specify the location of the incident or the fate of the third Russian soldier.

While Kyiv Post could not independently verify the video's authenticity, Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko reposted the Zahid command's publication on his Telegram channel.

In the comments section, commentators expressed little sympathy for the soldiers.

One person wrote: “And was it necessary for them to go to Ukraine?”

Another said: “So they couldn't shoot themselves at home? It was necessary to come to Ukraine?”

Another commentator asked: “why they don't surrender,” adding: “Shouldn't the instinct of self-preservation kick in?”

Clues to the answer can be found in the testimony of Russian POWs interviewed last year by Kyiv Post.

One man said he was told by his commanders that it's better to use a grenade to kill himself and any enemies approaching rather than surrender and face “torture.”