In the vicinity of a secret printing house belonging to the intelligence service, SVT’s Ukraine correspondent Elin Jönsson meets the volunteer Vitaliy Matvienko. With him is purple leaflets that are part of Ukraine’s latest move to turn the tide at the front.
– Here it says how to surrender. You have to unload your weapons, you have to hold white bands in your hand and hold your hands up and then when you approach our posts you have to lie down on the ground, says Vitaliy Matvienko.
It is not the first time that Ukraine has turned to those who fight for the opposing side.
The “I want to live” project was created in 2022 after Russia launched the full-scale invasion and targeted Russian soldiers who did not want to participate in the war. Since then, 350 Russian soldiers have used their hotline and surrendered to the Ukrainian side.
On the leaflet to the North Koreans it is possible to read:
“The Ukrainian intelligence service has created a special program aimed at the North Korean soldiers who are ready to assist Russia in the war against Ukraine.”
– It is clear that not everyone wants to fight and we know very well what living conditions prevail in North Korea. Therefore, many may see it as a chance to escape from the regime and go to another country, Vitaliy Matvienko.
In the clip, Vitalij Matvienko shows in which other ways they try to reach out to the North Korean soldiers