In a significant development, Ukrainian troops have captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The soldiers, who are receiving medical assistance, are currently in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to Ukrainian paratroopers and soldiers from the Special Operation Forces for capturing the North Koreans, describing the task as “not easy.” He claimed that Russian and North Korean soldiers usually execute wounded North Koreans to conceal evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian intelligence service reported that the prisoners were captured on January 9 and provided with medical care as stipulated by the Geneva Convention. Communication with the prisoners is being carried out through Korean interpreters, in cooperation with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
During interrogation, one of the soldiers claimed he was issued a Russian military ID card in the autumn of 2024, allegedly for training purposes, not to fight in the war against Ukraine. The soldier, born in 2005, has been serving North Korea as a rifleman since 2021. The second prisoner, born in 1999, has been serving as a scout sniper since 2016.
Zelensky has instructed the SBU to grant journalists access to the prisoners, stating that “the world needs to know the truth about what is happening.” The president also posted photographs of the wounded men and a red Russian military card, which listed the place of birth as Turan, in the Tuva Republic, near Mongolia.
The capture of the North Korean soldiers comes amid reports of Russia’s increasing involvement with North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
In December, South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that a North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces had died from injuries sustained in combat. The White House has also stated that North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties.
The Security Service of Ukraine is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the North Korean military’s participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The investigation is being carried out under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office, citing planning, preparation, unleashing, and waging an aggressive war.
