Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of a captured North Korean soldier being interrogated on X.
According to an article in the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia in early January.
North Korea sent troops last autumn to Kursk to help Russia after Ukraine attacked its territory last August. Kyiv is hoping to maintain their position inside Russia to help negotiate a better peace deal.
In his post, Zelensky noted: “Intelligence data on the movement of such troops to Russian territory, their training and complete information isolation have been confirmed by the prisoners.”
Communication between captured North Korean soldiers and SSU investigators continues.
Intelligence data on the movement of such troops to Russian territory, their training and complete information isolation have been confirmed by the prisoners.
All the facts about North… pic.twitter.com/E2wiFlPBiw
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 20, 2025The captured soldier, who arrived in Russia with some 100 other North Koreans, allegedly did not know that he was going to fight in Russia, nor did he know who he would be fighting against. Even his own mother does not know where he is.
He also said that he was not trained to handle Russian heavy weapons, but he knows North Korean soldiers who are.
He has been fighting since Jan. 3, and according to his testimony, many of his fellow soldiers have died, but he was unable to give any exact numbers. Asked what he knew about the world outside North Korea, he replied, “not much.”
The Kyiv Independent also noted estimates from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that claim 300 North Koreans have died and 2,700 have been injured. They say inadequate training and ineffective counter-drone tactics are to blame for the losses.
