Ukraine Captures Two North Korean Soldiers in Russia Amid War Revelations

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Ukrainian forces have captured two injured North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday. The soldiers, now in Kyiv under the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), are receiving medical treatment, Zelensky confirmed.  

 

 

The president expressed his gratitude to Ukrainian paratroopers and Special Operations Forces for successfully completing what he described as a challenging mission. He claimed that Russian and North Korean forces often execute wounded North Koreans to conceal their involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, making this capture an extraordinary achievement.  

 

According to a statement from Ukrainian intelligence, the prisoners were taken into custody on January 9. The statement emphasized that they were immediately provided with medical care in accordance with the Geneva Convention and are being held under conditions that align with international law.  

 

Communication with the captured soldiers has posed challenges, as neither speaks Ukrainian, Russian, nor English. Ukrainian authorities have relied on interpreters fluent in Korean, working in collaboration with South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).  

 

In a statement shared on Telegram and X, Zelensky revealed that the captured soldiers are cooperating with SBU investigators. He instructed the SBU to allow journalists access to the prisoners, stating, "The world needs to know the truth about what is happening."  

 

The president also shared photos of the detainees, one of whom possessed a red Russian military ID card. The document listed the place of birth as Turan in Russia's Tuva Republic near Mongolia. However, Ukrainian intelligence suspects these documents were falsified.  

 

The SBU reported that one of the soldiers claimed he had received the Russian-issued ID during the autumn of 2024, following a week-long interoperability training session involving North Korean units. He allegedly stated that he was under the impression he was attending training, not preparing for active combat in Ukraine. Born in 2005, he said he has served as a rifleman in the North Korean military since 2021.  

 

The second detainee, who sustained an injured jaw, provided some responses in writing. He is believed to have been born in 1999 and has served as a scout sniper for North Korea since 2016.  

 

The Geneva Convention mandates that prisoner interrogations must be conducted in a language they understand and that detainees must be shielded from public curiosity. Ukrainian officials have asserted that they are adhering to these standards.  

 

Zelensky’s office released a statement suggesting that Russia has been attempting to disguise the presence of North Korean troops by issuing them documents linked to territories like Tuva. "But these people are actually Koreans, they are from North Korea," the statement clarified.  

 

This revelation follows reports of North Korean military involvement in Ukraine, which Moscow has not explicitly denied. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the use of North Korean troops as a "sovereign decision."  

 

In December, South Korea's intelligence agency reported the death of another North Korean soldier who had been captured alive by Ukrainian forces. The White House has also noted that North Korean troops in the conflict have experienced significant casualties.  

 

The SBU continues its investigation into the involvement of North Korean forces in Russia’s war against Ukraine under Article 437 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which pertains to the planning and waging of aggressive war.

 

Based on a report by BBC 2024-01-13