Belarusian volunteers spearhead swift incursion into russia

A video showing a tank under the white-red-white flag entering the Kursk Oblast in Russia was sent to Biełsat by a Belarusian soldier with the call sign "Żerar." He is the head of the armored vehicle evacuation department of the 225th Separate Assault Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Żerar" is currently in Ukraine as part of a rotation but promises to return to Russia soon to continue supporting the Ukrainian operation.

The operation carried out by Ukraine surprised the world. According to "Żerar," Ukrainian forces managed to enter Russian territory in a record short time, made possible through careful planning and coordinated actions.

"Żerar" emphasized that the battalion he led was the first to cross the border of the Kursk Oblast. "We went in like a knife through butter. Everything went very easily. If every step is well planned and everyone performs their tasks at 100 percent, everything goes great," stressed the Belarusian commander.

He also confirmed reports that "a lot of" prisoners of war fell into Ukrainian hands. "During major offensives on Kherson or Izium, there were not nearly as many prisoners," he said in an interview with Biełsat.

Previously, the media reported approximately 2,000 Russian prisoners of war, while the Financial Times estimated this number to be 2,500 a few days ago. So why are the Russians abandoning their weapons in large numbers?

"The command simply abandoned them," explained "Żerar." "They had no communication, no supplies of food and water. After three days without food and water, you slowly begin to die. Most people simply decided to surrender," he added.

Most prisoners were conscripts who "have little to do with the war." "Żerar" calls them "children." "They are 18-23 years old and claim they did not want to and did not intend to fight," he adds.

"Whether they are children or not, they held weapons and fired," the soldier emphasized. "And when our assault units entered, clashes began in which Russian soldiers died. They died in large numbers because they were untrained, unprepared. They did not have enough ammunition, they were exhausted because they lacked water and food. They died, and those who had something in their heads made a wise decision and surrendered."

The images from the Kursk Oblast operation are very different from what could be seen during the Russian offensive at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian operation in the Kursk Oblast in no way resembles Bucha, where Russians committed violence against civilians and war crimes on a large scale.

For the first few days, "Żerar" and his unit hardly saw any civilians. He met locals for the first time only on the fifth or sixth day of the operation.

"No one welcomes us with bread and salt, as some describe it, but at least there is no aggression towards the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the commander stated.

According to him, aggression from locals is felt towards Vladimir Putin. "Żerar" recounted that an elderly local woman told him, "We are brothers with Ukrainians, we have always been friends," and that "this entire war is one big mistake. From the very beginning, I said this was not the way."

"Żerar" admitted that he does not follow Russian news but mentioned the nuclear threats from Putin and Lukashenko, which are a topic of conversation among soldiers, though they are treated humorously, recalling Lukashenko's promises "to show where the attack was prepared." The soldier also does not believe in any peace talks.

"All of Putin's proposals come down to this: give me everything and leave nothing for yourselves. These are not negotiations; this is an ultimatum. I believe that until we reach Moscow, there will be no negotiations," says the Belarusian volunteer. According to "Żerar," equal talks can be considered only when "Putin is caught by the balls."