[Updated at 17.45]: The Airborne Assault Troops have released a video showing a second captured DPRK soldier receiving medical care after his capture.
According to the report, the North Korean soldier was taken prisoner during combat operations in the Kursk region by paratroopers from the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Polissya Brigade. He was captured during his first combat mission, which occurred during an assault on positions held by units of the Polissya Brigade.
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The report also said that the prisoner was armed with Russian-made equipment and weapons.
“The wounded North Korean soldier received timely first aid,” the report added.
Ukrainian forces have captured the first North Korean (DPRK) soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region, Ukrainian officials announced on Saturday, Jan. 11.
President Volodymyr Zelensky broke the news, writing via Telegram, “Our soldiers captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Two wounded soldiers were taken to Kyiv, where they are now cooperating with investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).”
Zelensky also shared photos of the captives and the military ID of one soldier.
He acknowledged the challenge of the capture, saying that Russian and DPRK troops often finish off their wounded comrades to eliminate evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.
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Zelensky commended the 84th Tactical Group of the Special Operations Forces (SSO) and paratroopers for their role in the operation. He said that the prisoners are receiving appropriate medical care, as required under international law.
“I have instructed the SBU to provide journalists access to these prisoners. The world must see what is happening,” Zelensky added.
The SBU confirmed the capture and announced that the operation provided “irrefutable evidence of DPRK’s participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
According to the SBU, the first soldier was captured on Jan. 9 by the 84th Tactical Group of the SSO, and the second by Ukrainian paratroopers. Both were transferred to Kyiv, where they are being held under conditions compliant with international law.
The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian, so communication is facilitated by Korean translators with assistance from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), the report read.
At the time of his capture, one soldier carried a Russian-style military ID issued in the Russian republic of Tuva. The other was without documents.
The soldier with the ID claimed it was issued in Russia during the fall of 2024 when North Korean units were reportedly coordinating with Russian troops for one week. He said he was born in 2005, served as a rifleman, and joined the DPRK military in 2021.
“It is notable that the prisoner, like many Russian soldiers at the start of the full-scale invasion, claims he was sent for training, not to fight in the war against Ukraine,” the SBU reported.
The Special Ops released via Telegram a video showing the capture of this serviceman, which reportedly occurred during operations in Russia’s Kursk region.
After being evacuated from the battlefield, SSO operators provided first aid to the DPRK prisoner, as shown in the footage.
Since Aug. 6, 2024, when Ukrainian forces first crossed into the Kursk region, the SSO has carried out numerous ambushes and rapid strikes on Russian troop positions.
As Russia ramped up its counteroffensive efforts, the SSO adapted by repelling attacks and targeting reinforcements. North Korean soldiers, deployed by Russia to bolster its forces, have increasingly become targets of these operations.
On Jan. 7, the SSO reported eliminating 13 North Korean soldiers during operations in the Kursk region. Operators from the 8th Special Ops Regiment engaged in a gunfight, killing five soldiers, and used drones to eliminate eight more.
According to the SBU, another prisoner corroborated his comrade’s testimony. Due to an injured jaw, he provided some answers in writing, the report said.
The second DPRK soldier was purportedly born in 1999 and has served in the North Korean military since 2016 as a sniper reconnaissance officer.
At the end of last year, reports surfaced that the first North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces in combat had died from complications related to his injuries, according to sources in Seoul and Kyiv.
South Korea’s NIS, citing updates from an unnamed “friendly country,” confirmed that the soldier had been severely injured in combat before his capture. He succumbed to his wounds in a Ukrainian medical facility on Dec. 27, 2024, as reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The Ukrainian defense outlet Militarniy reported that the soldier had been taken prisoner three days after being wounded. He was captured during an SSO raid in the Kursk region and survived just one day in captivity before succumbing to his injuries.
The first images suggesting the presence of North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine emerged in early December. These images depicted men with Asian facial features wearing Russian military uniforms, apparently taking cover from a Ukrainian observation drone.
Ukrainian units stationed in the region reported that Russian commanders began deploying DPRK troops in major assaults starting on Dec. 20, 2024. Battle reports and drone footage showed waves of North Korean soldiers advancing, only to be decimated by repeated strikes from Ukrainian artillery, mortars, and first-person view (FPV) drones.
Ukrainian Defense Forces have maintained a bridgehead in the Kursk region since early August 2024. On Jan. 5, Ukrainian troops launched attacks against Russian forces in multiple directions within the region.
Currently, Russian forces, supported by DPRK soldiers, are attempting to reclaim positions previously seized by Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. Despite repeated counterattacks, Russian forces have been unable to fully dislodge Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region. However, reports suggest that Russia has reclaimed roughly half of the territory seized by Ukrainian forces since their operation began in August 2024.
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