Kyiv, Ukraine — In a significant development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukrainian forces have captured two soldiers from North Korea who were fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region of Russia. This revelation comes shortly after Ukraine intensified its military operations in Kursk to maintain control over areas it seized during a rapid advance in August, marking the first instance of Russian territory being occupied since World War II.
Moscow’s response has been a robust counteroffensive, leaving many Ukrainian forces stretched thin and morale low, with thousands reported dead or injured. Ukrainian troops have lost over 40% of the nearly 1,000 square kilometers (approx. 386 square miles) of territory they had gained in Kursk.
“Our soldiers have taken North Korean soldiers in Kursk. The two captured soldiers, though injured, are alive, have been taken to Kyiv, and are in communication,” Zelenskyy stated in a message shared via the Telegram platform. He included images showing the soldiers resting on beds in a room secured with bars on the windows, showcasing their injuries—one had a bandage on his jaw, and the other on his hands and wrists.
Zelenskyy emphasized that capturing the soldiers alive posed significant challenges. He claimed that both Russian and North Korean forces in Kursk made efforts to hide the presence of North Korean soldiers, including executing wounded comrades on the battlefield to prevent them from being captured and interrogated by Ukrainian authorities.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s security service, SBU, released additional details about the two soldiers. One of them was found without any form of identification, while the other had a military ID card from Russia, identifying him as a resident from the Tuva region, which neighbors Mongolia.
The SBU reported that communication with the captured soldiers is being facilitated through Korean translators in collaboration with South Korean intelligence, since they do not speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian. One soldier reportedly claimed that he believed he was sent to Russia for training rather than for combat against Ukraine.
The agency also noted that both soldiers are receiving medical assistance in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, and their case is under investigation with the involvement of South Korean intelligence services. An official from the Ukrainian military mentioned last month that a few hundred North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk had been either killed or injured in ongoing battles.
This estimate comes after Ukraine had reported that North Korea had dispatched between 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to support its nearly three-year conflict with Ukraine. Moreover, both the White House and the Pentagon have acknowledged that North Korean forces are engaged on the front lines, primarily in infantry roles, and are collaborating with Russian units, while occasionally operating independently in the Kursk area.
