11th January 2025 – (Kyiv) On Saturday, 11th January, Ukraine announced that investigators are questioning two wounded North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian officials assert that these soldiers provide “indisputable evidence” of North Koreans actively fighting for Moscow.
This is not the first instance where Kyiv has reported the capture of North Korean soldiers during operations in the Kursk area, although it has previously not been able to interrogate any captured personnel. In December, Ukraine claimed to have taken several North Koreans captive, but they later succumbed to serious injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared on social media, “Our soldiers captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. These are two soldiers who, although wounded, survived and were brought to Kyiv, and are talking to SBU investigators.”
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) provided some insights into the interrogation of the men, revealing that both identified themselves as experienced soldiers. One of them claimed he had been sent to Russia for training rather than combat. However, Ukraine has yet to furnish any evidence confirming their nationality as North Korean.
In footage released by the SBU, the two men, exhibiting Asian features, are seen resting in hospital beds—one with bandaged hands and the other with a bandaged jaw. A doctor at the detention facility indicated that the second soldier also has a broken leg.
Ukrainian President Zelensky remarked on the challenges of capturing North Korean fighters, stating, “Russians and other North Korean soldiers finish off their wounded and do everything to prevent evidence of the participation of another state, North Korea, in the war against Ukraine.” He expressed his intention to grant media access to the prisoners of war, asserting, “the world needs to know what is happening.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiga, announced on X that the “first North Korean prisoners of war are now in Kyiv,” describing them as “regular (North Korean) troops, not mercenaries.” He called for “maximum pressure against regimes in Moscow and Pyongyang.”
Communication with the captured soldiers is facilitated through Korean interpreters, as they do not speak Russian or Ukrainian, according to the SBU. This effort is reportedly “in cooperation” with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). The SBU’s video does not feature the men speaking Korean, and AFP reporters in Seoul have reached out to the NIS for further comments.Share
The post Ukraine captures North Korean soldiers, claims evidence of their involvement in conflict appeared first on Dimsum Daily.
English (US) ·