Ukraine War: Russia’s War: Dozens of conscripts missing in Kursk

According to media reports, many Russian conscripts were captured or are missing during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region. At least 81 conscripts are missing, and another 38 have been identified as prisoners in videos published by Ukrainian military officials, the BBC’s Russian-language service reported.

At the beginning of his war of aggression against Ukraine, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin promised that only temporary soldiers and volunteers would be deployed in the war zone. However, from the Kremlin’s point of view, the defense of Kursk does not count as participation in the so-called “military special operation.”

Russia has not officially released any information on its losses in Kursk. However, it is known that at least two conscripts have died in the fighting since the beginning of August. The actual number is likely to be much higher. The BBC’s data on the missing conscripts is based on search reports on the Internet from relatives of the recruits who have had no contact with them since the beginning of the Ukrainian offensive.

According to media reports, conscripts from other regions are to be transferred to Kursk. The military leadership in Moscow hopes that this will enable them to continue their attacks in Ukraine and not have to withdraw too many professional soldiers from the invaded country. The danger for the Kremlin, however, is that support for the war in the country could quickly decline if conscript losses are high.

The commander of the Chechen special unit “Akhmat”, Apti Alaudinov, has already rejected emerging criticism by saying that Russia does not need young men who are not ready to defend the country.