Politics Russia's war: dozens of conscripts missing in Kursk

According to media reports, many Russian conscripts have been captured or are missing during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region. At least 81 conscripts are missing and a further 38 have been identified as prisoners in videos released by the Ukrainian military, the BBC's Russian-language service reported.

At the beginning of his war of aggression against Ukraine, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had promised that only regular soldiers and volunteers would be deployed in the war zone. However, from the Kremlin's perspective, the defense of Kursk does not count as participation in the so-called "special military operation".

Officially, Russia does not provide any information on its losses in Kursk. However, it is known that at least two conscripts have died in the fighting since the beginning of August. The actual number is likely to be much higher. The BBC's data on the missing conscripts is based on search reports on the internet from relatives of recruits who have had no contact with them since the start of the Ukrainian offensive.

According to media reports, conscripts from other regions are to be transferred to Kursk. In this way, the military leadership in Moscow hopes to be able to continue its attacks in Ukraine and not have to withdraw too many professional soldiers from the invaded country. The danger for the Kremlin, however, is that support for the war in the country could quickly dwindle if there are high losses of conscripts.

The commander of the Chechen special forces unit "Akhmat", Apti Alaudinov, has already rejected emerging criticism by saying that Russia does not need young men who are not prepared to defend the country.