Captured soldiers described the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kupiansk

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing captured Ukrainian soldiers describing the situation faced by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) near Kupyansk and explaining why they decided to surrender.

The video was published on the official Telegram channel of the Russian Defense Ministry.

One of the prisoners, Shapovalenko, said that the AFU troops surrendered voluntarily.

“About four days after we were brought here, we realized that we were surrounded by the Russians. There were no more supplies — no ammunition, the water ran out, and there was very little food left,” he said.

Another prisoner, Vinder, also described the dire conditions for the Ukrainian soldiers trapped near Kupyansk.

“We thought they’d just shoot us when we came out,” he admitted.

Vinder added that there was no way out — Ukrainian troops were encircled, the river crossing was completely under the control of Russian drones and artillery, and many Russian soldiers were already inside Kupyansk itself.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian troops encircled in Krasnoarmiysk had begun surrendering. One of the captured soldiers said he refused to continue fighting because he had been betrayed by his commander.