As Kyiv’s forces continue to advance deeper into Russian territory, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that by midnight on Wednesday it had taken the Russian soldiers as prisoners of war.

Posting on social media platform Telegram, he said: “(Ukrainian forces have advanced) from 1 to 2 kilometers in different areas from the beginning of the day.

“And more than 100 Russian soldiers have been captured during the same period.”

President Zelenskyy said that “hundreds” of Russian soldiers have so far surrendered during the operation.

He added that he was “grateful to all involved,” and that the Russian prisoners would be used in prisoner swaps to “speed up the return home of our boys and girls.”

Since the surprise incursion into the neighboring region began on August 6th, by August 13th Ukraine controlled 74 towns and villages in the region.

This is the first time a foreign military has entered Russian territory since the Nazis in WWII.