Ukraine says it captured two injured North Korean soldiers in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Saturday that two wounded North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region and have become prisoners of war. According to Zelenskyy, the two men are receiving "necessary medical assistance" and are being held in Kyiv by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

President Zelenskyy expressed "gratitude" to Ukrainian paratroopers and special operations forces soldiers for capturing the two North Koreans. He added that "this was not an easy task" and claimed that Russian and North Korean soldiers typically execute wounded North Koreans "to eliminate any evidence of North Korean participation in the war against Ukraine."

Ukrainian intelligence stated in a release that the prisoners of war were captured on January 9 and immediately "received all necessary medical care in accordance with the Geneva Conventions" before being taken to Kyiv. "They are being held in appropriate conditions that meet the requirements of international law," the intelligence statement read. The intelligence also stated that the prisoners of war do not speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian, "therefore, communication with them is carried out through a Korean translator and in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea."

In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Zelenskyy said that the soldiers are "talking to investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine" and that he has instructed the SBU to allow journalists to interview them. "The world needs to know the truth about what is happening," he added. Zelenskyy also included four photos with the statement, two of which show the wounded men. One of the photos shows a red Russian military ID card.

The birthplace on the document is Turan, in the Tuva Republic, near Mongolia. Intelligence stated that when the prisoners of war were captured, one of the soldiers was in possession of a Russian military ID card issued in another person’s name, registered in the Tuva Republic. The other had no documents. During questioning, the soldier with the ID card told security officials that he had received it in Russia in the fall of 2024, intelligence said. He reportedly stated that some North Korean combat units underwent a week of interoperability training at the time. "It is noteworthy that the prisoner of war... emphasized that he was allegedly there for training, not for war against Ukraine," the SBU statement said.

Intelligence reported that he said he was born in 2005 and has been a rifleman in North Korea since 2021. According to the SBU, the second prisoner of war allegedly answered some questions in writing because he had a jaw injury. Intelligence believes he was born in 1999 and has been a reconnaissance sniper in North Korea since 2016. The Geneva Conventions state that the interrogation of prisoners of war should be conducted in a language they understand and that they must be protected from public curiosity.

Zelenskyy's office stated in a release that the Russians are "trying to cover up the fact that these people are North Korean soldiers by giving them documents claiming they are from Tuva or other areas controlled by Moscow." "But these people are actually North Koreans, and they came from North Korea," the presidential office statement said. In 2014, Russian troops fighting in Ukraine – despite denials from the Kremlin – were sent to the battlefield without identifying markings. Last year, when President Vladimir Putin was asked if Russia was using North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine, he did not deny it. He said it was a "sovereign decision" for Russia.

Last December, South Korean intelligence reported that a North Korean soldier, believed to be the first captured while supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, had died after being captured alive by Ukrainian forces. Additionally, the White House stated that North Korean troops are suffering massive casualties. The SBU stated that "necessary investigative measures are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the participation of the military personnel of the DPRK in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine." "The investigation is being carried out under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office under Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (planning, preparation, unleashing and waging a war of aggression)."