Ukraine President says THOUSANDS of Russians captured as Putin continues bungled invasion after losing three generals
UKRAINE'S President has said that THOUSANDS of Russians have been captured as Putin continues his bungled invasion after losing three of his generals.
It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the opening of a special headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war amid Russia's bombardment of his country.
Zelensky announced that the government's current infrastructure can't support the number of Russian fighters they've captured.
Putin has lost 11 military commanders and three generals so far in his shambolic invasion - as the spluttering campaign continues to take its toll on Moscow's forces.
Ukraine's President announced: "The number of captured occupiers has already reached such a level that this issue can not be left to the structures that we had before the war.
"Therefore, today the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has established a Coordinating Headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war.
"Thousands of enemy soldiers who have been captured or surrendered receive from our state the treatment required by international conventions.
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"But there are so many that a special structure is needed to deal with all related issues. "
It follows reports that Russian troops who surrendered in Ukraine face a firing squad when they return.
Vladimir Putin's faltering invasion has seen morale among his forces plummet in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Sobbing Russians have been filmed telling their captors they had no idea where they were being sent.
But now it’s feared they face being shot by their vengeful commanders when they return home, the Telegraph reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, a soldier from the 2nd Motor Rifle Division said: "In Russia, we are already considered dead.
“I was given the opportunity to call my parents and they told me that a funeral for me had already been arranged.
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"If we are exchanged, then we will be shot by our own people."
It comes amid reports that Chechen fighters allied to Putin are being used to block any Russian retreat, in a brutal repeat of World War Two tactics.
MP Fedir Venislavskyi, who sits on the Ukrainian parliament's defence and security committee said the units were made up of 'Kadyrovite' fighters.
The MP was referring to the militants linked to brutal Ramzan Kadyrov, 45, a close ally of Putin, who leads the Russian province of Chechnya.
"There is information that the occupying forces are creating ‘barricading detachments’," he told local TV,
"That is, Stalin’s and Hitler’s methods of waging war are being repeated."
The Chechen soldiers are known as "hunters" and each of them was reportedly given a pack of cards with senior Ukrainian officials that Moscow wants dead.
As the Russian offensive ran into difficulties, footage is emerged of captured Russian soldiers crying as they claim they had no idea what to expect in Ukraine.
Intercepted radio messages indicated troops were disobeying orders from Moscow to shell Ukrainian towns, and complaining about running out of food and fuel.
The recordings, obtained by British intelligence company ShadowBreak, include a soldier who sounds like he is crying.
In another recording, a soldier loses his temper as he asks when food or fuel will arrive.
- Russian forces are massing near Kyiv as Ukraine is fortifying the capital for a long bloody siege
- Kremlin diplomats accused a pregnant woman of FAKING her injuries after Putin's forces bombed a hospital
- Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned - and its feared Chelsea could fold if he doesn't sell the club in 81 DAYS
- Russia has been accused of nuclear terrorism after bombing a reactor in Kharkiv
- Britain has warned that Russia could use chemical weapons as the invasion continues
- Incredible video shows a Russian armoured column being blitzed as it advances towards Kyiv
- Sanctions continue to bite - and one Russian was seen stocking up with dozens of McDonald's burgers as the company withdrew
Other footage shows moment a surrendered Russian soldier breaks down in tears as Ukrainians feed him and help call his mum.
The shaken man is seen gulping down a cup of tea and a pasty as he is calmed by a woman who offers him her phone.
The young prisoner of war then blows kisses as his mother answers and bursts into tears.
The Ukrainians have now claimed to have killed more than 12,000 Russians since Putin ordered his troops into their country.
Dramatic footage has emerged in the past day showing the moment a column of Russian tanks is destroyed by a Ukrainian ambush near Kyiv.
The attack reportedly claimed the life of yet another senior Russian commander as Putin’s forces press in on the capital city.
According to Ukraine's defence ministry, the dead officer was Colonel Andrei Zakharov, the commander of a tank regiment.
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He was pictured being awarded the Order of Courage by mad Vlad himself in 2016.
His death adds to the toll of Russian commanders killed during the invasion of Ukraine, which includes three generals, with the operation reportedly described as a "clusterf***" by one Kremlin insider.
