Ukraine Captures Two Injured North Korean Soldiers from Russia’s Kursk Region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukraine has captured two injured North Korean soldiers from the battlefield in Russia’s Kursk region. The soldiers were brought to Kyiv, where they are receiving medical treatment and communicating with Ukraine’s security service.
This is the first time Ukraine has detained North Korean troops since Pyongyang deployed an estimated 11,000 soldiers to support Russia late last year, according to the US and its allies. Neither Russia nor North Korea has publicly acknowledged the troop deployment.
Zelenskyy said capturing the North Korean soldiers was not an easy task, as Russian and North Korean soldiers typically execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine. The captured soldiers are receiving necessary medical assistance, and Zelenskyy has instructed Ukraine’s security service to allow journalists access to the prisoners, with the goal of revealing the truth about the conflict.
The capture of the North Korean soldiers comes as Ukraine has reported that some of the soldiers have died or been wounded in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have launched a cross-border incursion since August. The White House has also reported that some North Korean soldiers have taken their own lives rather than surrender to Ukrainian forces, likely out of fear of reprisal against their families in North Korea if they are captured.