Ukrainian troops have captured two wounded North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday.
According to Zelensky, the two men are receiving “necessary medical assistance” and are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kiev.
The president said he was “grateful” to Ukraine's paratroopers and special operations forces for capturing the North Koreans.
He added that “it was not an easy task”, claiming that Russian and North Korean soldiers routinely executed wounded North Koreans “to erase evidence of North Korea's involvement in the war against Ukraine”.
In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Zelensky said the soldiers were “talking to SBU investigators” and that he had ordered Ukraine's security services to give journalists access to them.
“The world needs to know the truth about what's going on,” he added.
Zelensky also posted photos of two wounded men but did not confirm they were North Korean.
One photo shows a Russian army ID card issued to a 26-year-old man from Russia's Tyva region, bordering Mongolia.
Some reports say Russia is hiding North Korean fighters with fake IDs.
Last December, the South Korean intelligence agency reported this information A North Korean soldier is believed to be the first to die in captivity while supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. After being captured alive by Ukrainian forces.
Separately, the White House said North Korean forces were suffering heavy casualties.