Following the announcement that the US will send a delegation to Russia for a ceasefire, an interesting move came from Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Putin wore a military uniform to visit a command center in the Kursk region, which is under Ukrainian control, to get updates on the current situation.

During his first visit to the Kursk region, which was occupied by Ukraine last August, Putin inspected Russian troops. While wearing a military uniform during the visit, Putin received information from Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Gerasimov informed Putin that Ukrainian troops were surrounded and that 430 Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner.

“FOREIGN MERCENARIES ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE GENEVA CONVENTION”
Putin emphasized that the captives must be treated as terrorists according to Russian laws, indicating that they could be tried in Russian courts and face decades in prison.

“Our mission is to defeat the enemy that has settled in the Kursk region in the near future as quickly as possible. Russia will treat the captured Ukrainian soldiers as terrorists. Foreign mercenaries are not covered by the Geneva Convention,” Putin stated.

US DELEGATION TO RUSSIA
Furthermore, Putin’s military uniform inspection coincided with US President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the war. President Trump had mentioned earlier today that Ukraine had agreed to the ceasefire. Trump implied to Putin that the US could take financially detrimental actions to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire, but he stated that it was unnecessary.