Ukraine says it captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk

Wounded soldiers taken to Kyiv for questioning by Ukrainian investigators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence.

Ukraine says it has captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region and taken them to Kyiv, where investigators were questioning them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two prisoners of war were “communicating” with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the country’s domestic intelligence agency.

“Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Saturday.

Ukraine’s SBU said in a statement that one of the captured soldiers had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.

“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” the statement said.

According to the SBU, one of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine.

The agency said both men were provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions.

Ukraine did not provide evidence that the captured soldiers were from North Korea.

South Korean coverage of North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines
A newspaper displayed on a street in Seoul, South Korea, with coverage of North Korea’s decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine’s front lines [File: Anthony Wallace/AFP]

Kyiv has repeatedly said North Korean troops are fighting in the Kursk region, where it launched an incursion in August, claiming control over several hundred square kilometres of territory.

However, this is the first time that the country’s intelligence services said they have had the opportunity to question North Korean soldiers. While Ukraine had previously claimed to have captured North Korean soldiers in combat, it said they had been badly wounded and died shortly afterwards.

Last month, a senior Ukrainian military official claimed that some 200 North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk had been killed or wounded in battle.

The estimate of North Korean casualties came weeks after Ukraine announced that Pyongyang had sent 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers to Russia to help it in its almost three-year war against its much smaller neighbour.

The White House and Pentagon last month confirmed that the North Korean forces have been battling on the front lines in largely infantry positions.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies

Read More

  • Related Posts

    Ukraine ‘starts preparing to build a NUCLEAR bomb in case Donald Trump pulls US military aid’

    Ukraine could develop a rudimentary nuclear bomb within months if Donald Trump pulls US military aid, a briefing paper prepared for the country’s Ministry of Defence has revealed.  The weapon would…

    Ukraine fires US-made missile into Russia: WW3 fears as Kremlin threatens ‘nuclear response’ if long-range Western weapons are used on its territory

    Ukraine has carried out its first strike on Russian territory with US-supplied long-range missiles just days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the green light despite fears it could escalate…

    You Missed

    Alex Shorey poisoning: Major update after Aussie exchange student was allegedly poisoned by his Taiwanese girlfriend just months after the mysterious death of her husband

    • By poster
    • February 13, 2025
    • 1 views
    Alex Shorey poisoning: Major update after Aussie exchange student was allegedly poisoned by his Taiwanese girlfriend just months after the mysterious death of her husband

    Moment former CNN star Don Lemon’s leading questions backfire during live interview

    • By poster
    • February 13, 2025
    • 1 views
    Moment former CNN star Don Lemon’s leading questions backfire during live interview

    Ocado is ridiculed by customers over ‘atrocious’ Christmas substitute choices items after retailer suffers delivery malfunction

    • By poster
    • February 13, 2025
    • 1 views
    Ocado is ridiculed by customers over ‘atrocious’ Christmas substitute choices items after retailer suffers delivery malfunction

    Body found in search for missing woman, 61, who vanished 10 days ago: Police quizzing man over ‘murder’

    • By poster
    • February 13, 2025
    • 1 views
    Body found in search for missing woman, 61, who vanished 10 days ago: Police quizzing man over ‘murder’

    Grave warning on sex offender who vanished a day before Christmas as cops launch urgent hunt

    • By poster
    • February 13, 2025
    • 1 views
    Grave warning on sex offender who vanished a day before Christmas as cops launch urgent hunt

    Santa tracker 2024 LIVE: Follow where Father Christmas is right now as he delivers presents to kids around the world with the Norad map

    • By admin
    • February 12, 2025
    • 2 views
    Santa tracker 2024 LIVE: Follow where Father Christmas is right now as he delivers presents to kids around the world with the Norad map