This is further proof of the presence of North Korean soldiers sent to fight alongside the Russian army. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Saturday, January 11, that his troops had taken two North Koreans prisoner in the Russian region of Kursk, then transferred to kyiv where they are now being interrogated.
“These are two soldiers who, although injured, survived and were transported to kyiv where they are speaking with investigators from the SBU,” the Ukrainian security services, he said on Telegram.
“It was not an easy task: usually, the Russians and other North Korean soldiers finish off their wounded and do everything to erase evidence of the participation of another state, North Korea, in the war against ‘Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president continued.
“The world needs to know what’s happening.”
The leader accompanied his message with photos of the two suspected soldiers in custody. One of them has visible bandages around his hands, the other around his chin. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, these prisoners receive “all necessary medical assistance”. He claimed to have ordered the SBU to provide press access to detainees. “The world needs to know what is happening,” he said.
At the end of December 2024, the head of state declared that very seriously injured North Korean soldiers had died in Ukraine after being taken prisoner. According to kyiv, 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including around 500 officers, are in the Kursk region, of which the Ukrainian army has occupied several hundred square kilometers since August. Neither Russia nor North Korea have confirmed the presence of this contingent.