Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia – Zelenskyy

Two injured North Korean soldiers, captured by Ukrainian special forces in Kursk Oblast, will be questioned in Kyiv. President Zelenskyy has instructed the SBU to provide journalists access to the prisoners

Jan 11, 2025 - 15:00

Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia – Zelenskyy

north korean soldier in captivity in Ukraine

The Armed Forces of Ukraine captured two North Korean military personnel in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 11 January.

According to Zelenskyy, these were two soldiers who, although injured, survived and were taken to Kyiv, where they are now speaking with Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) investigators.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense previously reported that the first units of North Korean military personnel arrived in the Russian-Ukrainian war zone on 23 October. The Intelligence Directorate reported approximately 12,000 North Korean military personnel in Russia. They have reportedly been trained for combat with Ukrainian Forces in the Kursk Oblast.

“This was not an easy task: usually, Russians and other North Korean military personnel finish off their wounded and do everything to ensure no evidence remains of another state’s – North Korea’s – participation in the war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskyy instructed the SBU to provide journalists with access to the prisoners. “The world needs to know what is happening,” the president remarked.

According to Zelenskyy, warriors from tactical group No. 84 of the Special Operations Forces and paratroopers captured these two individuals. “Like all prisoners, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving necessary medical care,” he added.

Russian authorities have not yet officially commented on this information.

Ukrainian intelligence claimed in November that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had already engaged in combat with North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korean forces are experiencing heavy losses.

NATO strongly condemned the expansion of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The alliance emphasized that sending North Korean troops is a dangerous escalation and violates UN Security Council resolutions.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, during his visit to Kyiv on 9 November, said that the presence of North Korean troops at the front poses an additional threat and emphasized the need for diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said on 1 January that total Russian army losses in the Kursk Oblast amounted to over 38,000 personnel and more than a thousand units of equipment.

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