Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia, Zelensky says

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities took two wounded North Korean combatants into custody from a battlefield in Russia's Kursk area and transported them to Kyiv for questioning, as reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend. This marks the first confirmed instance of Ukraine seizing North Korean troops since they began serving in Russia late last year.

In a recent Instagram post, President Zelensky shared a update on two Ukrainian soldiers who, despite being injured, managed to be transported to Kyiv, where they are now cooperating with the Ukrainian Security Service. According to the President, this was a challenging feat: typically, Russian and North Korean forces often kill their wounded troops to conceal their involvement in the conflict against Ukraine.

The two North Korean soldiers being held as prisoners of war are receiving the medical care they require," he stated, noting that he has ordered security personnel to permit journalists to speak with them, "so the world can gain a thorough understanding of the situation at hand.

The detention of the two prisoners, captured while fighting in a small area of western Russia controlled by Ukraine, may provide Ukraine with valuable information about the collaboration between North Korea and Russia. This development comes amidst a mutual defense pact between Russia and North Korea, signed in November, and Ukraine has asserted that over 11,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia to aid in Russian efforts to retake Ukraine-held territory.

Ukrainian forces reported a significant escalation in mid-December, revealing the mass arrival of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Zelensky reported that this week alone, at least 4,000 North Korean troops have been killed or injured.

Zelensky posted photos on Saturday showing two soldiers in a detention center. One soldier, wearing a striped sweater, was lying in a bed with both arms bandaged and protruding. The other soldier, dressed in a military jacket, had inflamed lips and a head wrapped in white bandages. Another photo showed the soldier with the head bandages drinking from a cup using a straw, in a room with bunk beds that were otherwise empty, except for the one he occupied on a lower bunk. The room appeared to be well-maintained, with a radiator and a window with metal bars for protection.

There was a photograph posted by Zelensky of a Russian-language document, which included the birth year of one of the soldiers as 1998.

Russian officials have been warned that North Korean troops claiming to be Russian may be sent to Ukraine to disguise their origins.

Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region have described seeing unusual enemy troops on the battlefield in mid-December. These troops moved in large groups and seemed not to react to drones hovering above them. In contrast to the way Russian soldiers usually move stealthily, in small groups to avoid being detected, the North Korean soldiers continued to advance, even as comrades were being killed or hurt around them.

A Ukrainian special forces soldier, Oleh, reported that his unit apprehended a North Korean fighter in late December who was severely injured and died within four hours of being captured, before he could be interrogated. Others, he said, have taken their own lives by using grenades to avoid being taken prisoner.

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