London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 24, 2025

Russian platoon 'surrenders saying they didn't think they had been sent to kill'

Russian platoon 'surrenders saying they didn't think they had been sent to kill'

An platoon of Russian solders who surrendered in Ukraine claim they had been unaware they were sent in to kill, according to the Ukrainian military.

The entire reconnaissance unit of Russia’s 74th Motorised Rifle Brigade was said to have been taken captive near the northern city of Chernihiv.

Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, Valeriy Zalushnyi, said the invading soldiers surrendered in the face of ‘total resistance’ from Ukrainian forces.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the platoon’s commander is said to have claimed he only learned of the invasion on Wednesday and believed they were going to return home.

A quote attributed to the commander, named as Konstantin Buynichev, said: ‘Nobody thought that we were going to kill. We were not going to fight – we were collecting information.’

A picture of him with bloodstained arms and field bandaging wrapped around one arm was posted on Commander Zalushnyi’s official Facebook account.

The claims were reiterated by Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, at a press conference in Washington, DC on Thursday.

Ms Markarova insisted ‘all Ukrainians’ would resist the invasion, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has described as a ‘special operation’.



The platoon’s commander appeared to have been injured in a photo shared by the Ukrainian military

Ukrainian forces earlier shared photos of four Russian soldiers captured in a separate operation

The Ukrainian military has vowed to push back against the Russian invaders


She joined calls from several senior Ukrainian figures for other governments to cut ties with Russia and impose harsher sanctions.

The number of soldiers part of the platoon has not been confirmed, although it is likely to significantly raise the number of captured Russian soldiers from the current total of 6.

Chernihiv, where the platoon was taken captive, is located just an hour’s drive from the border with Belarus, one of Putin’s few allies in Europe.

The country has been used a staging base for Russian troops and tanks who have begun pushing towards the capital of Kyiv under a barrage of missiles and airstrikes.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
×