Macy Hall
Two North Korean soldiers were captured by the Ukrainian military on 9th January.
The two soldiers, who only speak Korean, are currently receiving medical care in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
INTERROGATIONS
During interrogations, one of the soldiers claimed he had been misled. He told the Security Service of Ukraine that he thought he was taken to Russia for training.
The soldier said: “I didn’t know before coming to Russia that I would be fighting here in Russia, and I didn’t even know who we were fighting against.”
“The soldiers’ injuries could be seen in photos”
Seoul’s spy agency has claimed that neither of the captured soldiers have expressed any desire to return to North Korea. As such, Zelensky has stated that in the event of a prisoner exchange, other options will be presented to them if they do not wish to return.
WHO ARE THE NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS?
Although one of the soldiers had no documents on him, the other had a false military ID which claimed he was from the Russia-occupied region of Tuva.
One soldier claimed to have served as a North Korean rifleman since 2021. The other to have served since 2016.
The soldiers’ injuries could be seen in photos released on the 11th January. One had bandages on his face and head, while the other had large bandages on both hands.
Reportedly, the first North Koreans taken prisoner alive.
According to Zelensky, they have already been transported to Kyiv.
At least one of them has Russian military ID stating (possibly falsely) that he was born in Russia’s Tuva. pic.twitter.com/lBjdcRopwt
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) January 11, 2025
On 13th January, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service claimed 2,700 North Korean soldiers have been injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine. They also claim a further 300 have died.
WHAT IS NORTH KOREA’S INVOLVEMENT?
The Pentagon claims an estimated 10,000 of North Korea’s troops have been sent to support Russia.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has neither confirmed nor denied North Korean involvement in the war. However, this recent capture of two soldiers has been viewed as concrete evidence of their troops being deployed.
In October 2024, North Korean officials stated that any deployment of their troops in aid of Russia would be in adherence of international law.
“Putin started three years ago with ultimatums to NATO.”
Despite this, Russia’s United Nations representative claimed that the active involvement of North Korean troops on Ukrainian front lines was “barefaced lies.”
Speaking on X, Zelensky said: “there should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea.
“Putin started three years ago with ultimatums to NATO and attempts to rewrite history, but now he cannot manage without military support from Pyongyang.”
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Image courtesy of Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
