Jan. 11 (UPI) — Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers alive after they were wounded while fighting for Russia, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Saturday.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured in the Kursk Oblast, a region of Russia bordering Ukraine, Zelensky said in a lengthy post on X.
“I am grateful to the soldiers of Tactical Group No. 84 of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as our paratroopers, who captured these two individuals,” Zelensky said on X.
Our soldiers have captured North Korean military personnel in the Kursk region. Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine.
This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North… pic.twitter.com/5J0hqbarP6— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 11, 2025
North Korean soldiers began arriving to augment Russian forces late last year.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations said the organization estimates North Korea has deployed over 12,000 soldiers to Russia to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
In late December, Zelensky said estimates put the number of North Korean soldiers killed in combat with Ukrainian forces at around 3,000.
At the end of December, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported the first North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine later died.
“This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine,” Zelensky said on X Saturday.
The two were taken to Kyiv where they are being questioned by Ukrainian forces.
Zelensky said he is also making them available to international journalists and posted photos of the two men.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” the Ukrainian president said on X.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners. The world needs to know the truth about what is happening”
The news comes a day after the Biden administration announced some of the strongest-yet sanctions against Russia’s oil production and exports.
Earlier in the week, Ukrainian military forces attacked a targeted Russian oil depot used to provide fuel for strategic bombers.