Russian authorities, on Thursday, established a coordination council to address military security in border areas. This new council will focus on the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions, aiming to improve support for battlegroups and coordinate evacuation efforts.

Later, on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces had taken control of Sergievka and were advancing toward Kramatorsk, a major Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Donetsk. The Russian military had previously reported the capture of Lishichne and Ivanivka but not Sergievka, which is now within range of Kramatorsk.

Russian troops from the Sever (North) group are also countering Ukrainian incursions in the Kursk region, where Ukrainians have captured around 80 towns since their offensive began on August 6.

Ukrainian unit surrenders to Russian army near Kursk

A Ukrainian military unit of 24 servicemen from the armed forces surrendered to the Russian Army near the Komarovka village in the Kursk Region, effectively organized through Telegram, a Russian law enforcement spokesperson told Sputnik.

"Twenty-four servicemen from the 22nd separate mechanized brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine surrendered to the Russian army in an organized manner near the village of Komarovka in the Kursk Direction," he said, highlighting that "before surrendering, the Ukrainian military contacted us through the FREE_SOLDIER2022 channel." 

This follows Ukraine's offensive attack in the Kursk region on August 6 as part of its war with Russia, losing more than 2,800 service people and 41 tanks. Some of the weapons used by Ukraine are generally funded or provided by the NATO alliance.

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