Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, marking the first time Ukraine has detained North Korean troops since their deployment to the conflict. Zelenskyy shared a video showing interrogators questioning the wounded prisoners.
In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others. There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North… pic.twitter.com/4RyCfUoHoC
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 12, 2025
One soldier told interrogators that he believed he was on a training exercise and did not know he was in Ukraine until his capture. The other expressed a preference to stay in Ukraine rather than return to North Korea.
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North Korea deployed 12,000 troops to Russia last year, augmenting earlier support that included ammunition and ballistic missiles.
According to South Korean intelligence, approximately 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 injured, with many casualties attributed to inadequate training in modern warfare and unsuccessful attempts to counter long-range drones.
Documents recovered from deceased North Korean soldiers revealed orders from Pyongyang instructing troops to avoid capture at all costs, including directives to commit suicide if necessary.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces reported that one North Korean soldier attempted to detonate a grenade to evade capture, killing himself without injuring Ukrainian forces.
Zelenskyy proposed returning the captured North Korean soldiers to their leader, Kim Jong Un, in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia. He emphasized that North Korea’s involvement underscores Russia’s increasing dependence on foreign military assistance, stating that Russia began the war with demands directed at NATO but now relies on support from Pyongyang.
The Kremlin declined to comment on Zelenskyy’s prisoner swap offer, stating the information could not be verified. Zelenskyy also suggested that North Korean soldiers who choose not to return home could remain in Ukraine to help disseminate truthful accounts of the conflict.
