Ukraine said it had captured two injured North Korean soldiers in Russia

Two wounded North Korean soldiers were taken as prisoners of war by the Ukrainian army in Russia’s Kursk province, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.

According to Mr. Zelensky, the two men are receiving “necessary medical assistance” and are being detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv.

The president said he was “grateful” to the Ukrainian paratroopers and Special Operations Forces soldiers who captured the North Koreans.

He added that “this is not an easy task,” and said Russian and North Korean soldiers often execute wounded North Koreans “to erase all evidence of North Korea’s participation in the war.” war against Ukraine”.

Ukraine’s intelligence service said in a statement that the prisoners were captured on January 9 and immediately afterwards “provided all necessary medical care in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions” and taken to Kyiv.

“They are being held in appropriate conditions that meet the requirements of international law,” the intelligence agency said in a statement.

The intelligence agency said the prisoners did not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, “so communication with them was done through Korean interpreters, in cooperation with the NIS (National Intelligence Service). Korea”.

In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Zelensky said the soldiers were “talking to SBU investigators” and that he instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to them.

“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening,” he added.

Zelensky also posted four photos along with his statement. Two men were injured. One of the photos shows a red Russian military badge.

The birthplace on the document is recorded as Turan, in the Republic of Tuva, near Mongolia.

The intelligence agency said that when the prisoners were captured, one of the soldiers had a Russian military identification card in the name of another person registered in the Republic of Tuva. The remaining person has no documents at all.

The intelligence agency said that during interrogation, the soldier carrying the ID card told security staff that he was issued this document in Russia in the fall of 2024.

He reportedly stated that at the time, several North Korean combat units received a week-long interoperability training.

“It is noteworthy that the prisoner…emphasized that he was supposed to go for training, not to participate in the war against Ukraine,” the SBU statement said.

The intelligence agency reported that this person said he was born in 2005 and had served North Korea as a rifleman since 2021.

According to the SBU, the second prisoner was said to have given several written answers because he had an injury to his jaw. Intelligence agencies said they believe he was born in 1999 and had served North Korea as a reconnaissance sniper since 2016.

The Geneva Conventions stipulate that interrogation of prisoners must be carried out in a language they understand and that prisoners must be protected from public curiosity.

Zelensky’s office said in a statement that the Russians “are trying to hide the fact that these are soldiers from North Korea by providing them with documents claiming they are from Tuva or other regions.” other territories under Moscow’s control”.

“But these people are actually South Koreans, they are from North Korea,” said a statement from the presidential office.

In 2014, Russian forces operating in Ukraine – despite Kremlin denials – were dispatched without identifying marks on their uniforms.

Last year, when President Vladimir Putin was asked about Russia’s use of North Korean troops in the war in Ukraine, he did not deny it. He said it was Russia’s “sovereign decision”.

In December, South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that A North Korean soldier believed to be the first person captured while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine has died after being captured alive by Ukrainian troops.

In a separate development, the White House said North Korean forces were suffering mass casualties.

The Security Service of Ukraine said it was “currently carrying out the necessary investigative measures to determine all circumstances related to the participation of the North Korean military in Russia’s war against Ukraine”.

“The investigation is being conducted under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office in accordance with Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (planning, preparation, launching and waging of a war of aggression). “