Malaya Loknya in Kursk: Russian unit is imprisoned in its own penal colony

In the course of their rapid advance in Kursk, the Russian forces have encircled a Russian unit in the town of Malaya Loknya. The unit is only able to hold on because it has entrenched itself in a penal colony.

The village of Malaya Loknya in the Russian Kursk Oblast is 14 kilometers from the border. Penal colony number 11 for women has been in operation here since 2011: the 200 or so inmates are serving prison sentences of between 10 and 20 years.

But since the invasion of Kiev's army, everything has changed: First, the border town of Sudzha, 14 kilometers away, falls, then Malaya Loknya: “The war actually started on August 5th or 6th,” say the dismayed Russian civilians who stayed or were left behind.

In addition, Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups advance 15 kilometers along the road that also runs through Malaya Loknya, clearing the way for the advancing mechanized infantry, which first takes the village of Viktorovaka and then the entire area around Malaya Loknya.

An escape is hardly an option for the Russians: the enemy is already lying in wait for them on the possible entry and exit routes, reports Reporting from UkraineNo more supplies are coming in and no more soldiers are leaving.

Videos on social networks show how infantry fighting vehicles of the type marten through the village to the prison. The fact that the Russians have not yet been wiped out is thanks to the penal colony, whose “robust infrastructure” allows them to survive.

The Russians defend themselves with all their might: the guards are said to be taking part when the penal colony is fortified. On August 23, it is reported that it is quickly surrounded.

Locked up in the penal colony

Russian military bloggers claim on August 25 that Putin's army has been able to reinforce the besieged areas once again. But by the end of this month, Kiev's offensive in Kursk is progressing.

The American units fought their way to the penal colony, as these pictures prove: A marten destroyed a building in front of the prison.

They tried to hold their positions in Malaya Loknya, says a Russian, but because “Poles, French and African-Americans” attacked them, they had to retreat.

The penal colony is now well behind the current front line in Kursk. In contrast, Russian units are said to be operating nearby. Whether they will still be able to free their comrades in Malaya Loknya seems questionable at the moment.