{
  "id": 1080998,
  "title": "Captured Russian soldier describes 28-km crawl that killed most of his group before reaching Ukrainian lines",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/captured-russian-soldier-describes-28-km-crawl-that-killed-most-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-15T17:14:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/15/captured-russian-soldier-describes-28-km-crawl-that-killed-most-of-his-group-before-reaching-ukrainian-lines/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Russian soldier who was captured recently described the harrowing 28-kilometer crawl that claimed the lives of most of his group before they reached Ukrainian lines. The assault troops spent three days crawling through a pipe, with an estimated diameter of one and a half meters, before emerging into the open. Most of the 16 soldiers who embarked on this perilous journey were killed, and only a handful managed to survive.\n\nUpon emerging from the pipe, the Russians came under fire and surrendered to Ukrainian forces. The 71st Separate Air Assault Brigade reported that despite being wounded and facing Ukrainian drone strikes, the Russians were ordered to keep moving forward without proper evacuation. The survivors eventually surrendered to Ukrainian fighters, laying down their weapons and asking the Ukrainians not to shoot.\n\nThe captured soldier spoke out, urging other Russians not to participate in the war against Ukraine. He lamented that no amount of money or promised benefits could justify such sacrifices and suffering. The soldier expressed his remorse, stating that he would never again volunteer for such a dangerous mission.",
  "summary": "There, they were cut down from 16 to four and surrendered, the 71st Brigade says.",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian soldier describes 28-km crawl that killed most of his group",
    "Assault troops crawled through 1.5-meter pipe for three days",
    "Survivors surrendered to Ukrainian forces after coming under fire"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}