Ukraine has captured 2 North Korean soldiers in Kursk region of Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (11.01.2025), the first time Ukraine has captured North Korean soldiers alive since they entered the war last fall.
North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Kyiv and its Western partners, who initially estimated their numbers at 10,000 or more.
In X, Zelenskyy wrote that the soldiers were brought to Kyiv and are talking to the Security Service of Ukraine.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” Zelenskyy said. Journalists will be able to talk to them.
Kyiv says North Korean troops are in Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an offensive in August. Kyiv says it still controls several hundred square km there.
Pyongyang is also supplying Russia with huge amount of artillery shells, according to Kyiv and its Western partners.
Ukraine had previously said it captured North Korean soldiers in combat, but that they had been badly wounded and died shortly afterward.
