Paratroopers replenished the exchange fund with 21 invaders. One of them is from the so-called “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic,” and another is a traitor

5 February, 2025 Captured Russian soldiers. Freeze frame from video of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces Command Ukrainian paratroopers replenished the exchange fund with 21 invaders in the Kursk region.

The press service of the Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces reported on this. One of the captured invaders is a native of the so-called "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" (a Russian-occupied part of Moldova with the puppet entity "Transnistria"). All the POWs are from elite branches and certain types of Russian troops - Russian Airborne Forces (Russian: ????????-????????? ?????? ??????, ???, romanized: Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, VDV - Ed.) and Russian Naval Infantry.

These are soldiers from the 155th and 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigades, the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, the 83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, and other units of these units. Although this is not the first time that soldiers from these military units have been captured, two of those captured by Ukrainian paratroopers deserve special attention.

Captured invader from the so-called "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic." Frame from the video of the Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces

One is a native of the occupied part of Moldova, Kachev Vadim Alexandrovich, born on January 22, 2005, who identifies himself as a resident of the "Transnistria."

He is a soldier of the 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Federation. Moldovan journalist Constantin Dicusar mentioned the recruitment of residents of the so-called "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" to the Russian army in his article for Militarnyi "Army of the 'PMR': who serves and are ready to fight with Ukraine." The other is a native of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, namely the village of Mykhailivka, Vasyliv district.

His name is Mikhai (or Vikhai) Ivan Dmitrievich, born on September 14, 2003. In the video, he could not answer the unit's affiliation, only saying "34th group" and did not offer further details.

A captured fighter of the Russian invasion forces from the Zaporizhzhia region. Frame from the video of the Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces

As previously reported, the Russian invasion forces have started conscripting young men from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine for military service.

Young Ukrainians from the temporarily occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, illegally conscripted by the Russian invaders, arrived in another Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, Crimea.

From there, they are taken to military units.

It is not known how the prisoner got to the army, but officially, conscripts of the Russian military do not participate in hostilities.