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In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Mykhailo Podolyak @Podolyak_M, an adviser to Zelensky, said the Kursk operation is needed to convince Russia to start fair talks., DonaldC wrote:
I’m surprised Russia is not mounted a serious response to this.
I believe they have. Still, I think the 'worst is yet to come.'
There's some indication that Putin found out about this planned incursion. He called and talked to Lloyd Austen about 'something' the Ukrainians were planning and the US apparently said there was no truth to the Rumor. Ukraine sent a diplomat to talk to the Chinese, and the Ukrainian diplomat assured China that they were only interested in negotiations.
The incursion began and China was furious.
Putin redeployed a Chechen unit from Ukraine, to the Russian side of the border, days before the planned incursion. That unit is skilled at ambush; some reports from the incursion fighting indicate that Russians are employing ambushes on small reconnaissance bands of Ukrainians traveling through dense forest.
Then there's Russia's (initially) slow reaction that could be Russians making a mistake, but it seems like it's 'Russians letting the Ukraine in' across the border. Russia knows how to seal its borders. But even after the 'surprise' incursion, Russia didn't seal its borders - after letting 12 thousand cross the border, in the following days Russia allowed another 3 thousand Ukrainians to cross into Russia. I don't know if the border is even sealed now.
Russia then said there's just no negotiating with Ukrainians who say they want negotiations and then attack unarmed citizens and try to damage/take the Kursk nuclear power plant. Putin said these actions are not military, but are instead terrorism. He pointed out 'you can't negotiate with Ukraine while Zelensky still has a decree in place forbidding negotiations with Russia' (I think the decree was late 2022 to mid 2023 some time).
So Russia views Ukrainian fighters in Kursk region 'terrorists' not entitled to Geneva Convention rules. Note that Russia's response has very little military in it - almost all troops in Russia dealing with the Ukrainian incursion are militias. In the first few days of fighting, Russia only redeployed one military unit (Tanks) and left the Militia and Chechen unit to deal with the 'terrorists' instead of pullig military troops out of Donbas (Ukraine).
I don't think the Russians will have Ukrainian prisoners (not POW's) around for very long - what is the crime for trying to blow up/damage a nuclear power plant to cause a melt down or use as black mail? That level of threat to the public, in addition to shooting civilians trying to evacuate the conflict zone, probably gets the death sentence in Russia. Whatever happens to those involved in the incursion, it probably won't be the treatment they expect.