Ukrainian Air Force captures 11 Russian soldiers in Kharkiv region

The Air Force officer with the call sign Major shared this information.

According to him, Russian soldiers suddenly found themselves just a few meters away from the positions held by Ukrainian defenders. At that moment, the Air Force personnel were providing air cover, preventing Russian forces from advancing toward the ground units holding the defense.

"One group managed to approach our forward positions, and we received a report about their detection from the soldiers stationed directly at the position. So, Russian troops suddenly appeared almost 5 meters away from our unit. These were the forward positions, with only 4 Ukrainian soldiers there. They reported the Russians' numbers and managed to start the fight on their own," Major said.

The numbers of Russian troops were overwhelming, so the commander decided to hold the defense and issued the corresponding order. Drone strikes then targeted the Russian forces, causing panic among them, and they sought shelter in one of the buildings.

"After the strike, we managed to work very effectively against them. The Russians fell into a panic and ran into a building. The only option was to destroy the building before they could carry out any active actions. So, we made the decision to strike the building," the officer said.

When the building, where Russian soldiers were hiding, caught fire, they panicked and ran outside, attempting to take cover in the basement. Ukrainian troops quickly adjusted their positions, taking full control of the basement exit using firearms.

"Our soldiers executed all commands excellently. It's immense heroism because, knowing that there are only four of you and 12 of the enemy, it’s a huge risk to life. I admire these guys; they are true heroes. Especially considering they are from the Air Force. These are not infantry soldiers, not assault troops who have trained, worked, and fought in this direction for 10 or 5 years," said the Air Force.

One of the Ukrainian soldiers crawled to the basement and threw grenades inside. As a result, the Russian commander was killed. He had been the one who opposed the surrender of the Russian forces, but after his death, they decided to surrender.

• Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces eliminated and captured Russian soldiers who executed Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Territorial Defense Forces.