Captured North Korean soldiers confirm Pyongyang’s role in Russia’s war effort

A video released by Ukraine shows two North Korean soldiers captured on a battlefield in Russia's Kursk region on January 11. The two individuals, said to be injured but in a stable state, have been transported to Kyiv, where they are receiving "necessary medical care" and being questioned by the Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU.

The two soldiers confessed that they were from North Korea during interrogation, and admitted that North Korean forces had endured substantial losses in the conflict. North Korea has dispatched more than 12,000 seasoned troops from its elite Storm Corps to Russia's Kursk region since November, where Ukrainian forces have regained ground after last year's incursion across the border.

Ukrainian officials stated that this was the first time they had captured North Korean soldiers alive and capable of communication from the battlefield. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the capture on 12 January, noting that one of its officials is participating in the interrogation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, "Our soldiers have detained North Korean military personnel in the Kursk region. Two soldiers, despite sustaining injuries, have survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now interacting with the Ukrainian Security Service."

President Zelensky released a photo of a Russian military ID card that one of the captured soldiers was carrying. The ID card was issued to someone named after, which is a person from Tuva in Russia. The card reads, “Born in 1998 in Turan, Tuva Republic, Russia.” Tuva Republic is a Russian region in southern Siberia, northwestern of Mongolia. It has a big ethnic Mongolian population. The ID may have been falsified to hide the soldier's real origin.

Two soldiers who were captured have been identified as a 20-year-old rifleman and a 26-year-old sniper. According to information, both of them started their military service, one in 2016 and the other in 2021.

According to the National Intelligence Service (NIS), one of the soldiers stated, “I arrived in Russia in November last year, completed a week-long training, and was then dispatched to the combat zone. I was informed that we were proceeding to Russia for training, not combat, and only discovered about the deployment after my arrival.” Ukrainian media reported that the soldiers only spoke Korean, “therefore, communication with them is conducted through interpreters of Korean, in cooperation with South Korea's NIS.”

Two North Korean soldiers were each apprehended by Ukrainian special forces and parachute troops. Last month, the Ukrainian military issued a specific order to "capture North Korean soldiers alive", offering medals and additional leave as incentives. The Special Operation Forces posted a video on a separate social media post showing how the North Korean soldiers were captured. The video, filmed using drones, depicts a North Korean soldier and a Ukrainian soldier allegedly attempting to communicate using a smartphone translator.

The seizure by Ukraine of North Korean soldiers is considered the strongest proof that North Korea actually sent troops to support Russia's military campaign. Russia and North Korea have both denied deploying troops. Despite Ukraine providing various forms of evidence and this evidence being confirmed by the U.S., South Korea, and NATO, Russia and North Korea have refused to discuss this issue further.

In response to shots of North Korean troops appearing in emerging photos and videos, Russia stated they were ethnic Mongolian Russian volunteers from Siberian regions like Buryatia and the Tuva Republic. Russian President Vladimir Putin also demonstrated ethnic Mongolian figures at a year-end press conference on Dec. 19 to support this claim.

North Korea's contribution to Russia's war efforts is no longer in dispute. "Clear evidence has emerged that North Korea is taking part in Russia's war," Ukraine's Security Service said.