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South Korea’s intelligence service confirmed that Ukraine captured two wounded North Korean soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia in the Russian border region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday.
National Intelligence Service (NIS), Seoul told AFP It “confirms that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield of Kursk, Russia, on January 9.”
Zelensky posted on the Telegram messaging app that two captured North Korean soldiers were injured and taken to Kiev and that they were communicating with Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.
Video released by the SBU appeared to show two inmates lying on beds inside their cells. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
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In this unconfirmed photo shared by the Ukrainian military, a visibly injured captured North Korean soldier sits on a bed in his cell. (Ukrainian military handout)
A doctor interviewed in the SBU video said one soldier had facial injuries and another had an open wound and a broken lower leg. Both are receiving treatment.
In this unconfirmed photo shared by the Ukrainian military, a visibly injured captured North Korean soldier lies on a bed in his cell. (Ukrainian military handout)
The SBU also said that one of the soldiers did not have any documents at all, while the other soldier was carrying Russian military ID card The card was named after a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
Ukraine’s military said the North Korean soldiers were wearing Russian military uniforms and had fake military ID cards in their pockets, a plan that could mean Moscow and its “representatives at the United Nations could deny the facts,” Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, said “. “
Although Ukraine, the United States and South Korea claim that Pyongyang has sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to fight alongside Russia in the Kursk border region, Moscow has never publicly acknowledged this. North Korean army.
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Although reports of their presence first emerged in October, Ukrainian forces did not confirm engagement on the ground until December.
On Thursday, Zelensky put the number of dead or injured in North Korea at 4,000, but the U.S. estimate was lower at about 1,200.
Soldiers on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on October 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File)
Despite North Korea’s battlefield losses and initial lack of experience, Ukrainian soldiers, military intelligence officers and experts say first-hand experience will only help them further develop into a fighting force.
“For the first time in decades, the North Korean army has gained real military experience,” Yusov said. “This is a global challenge – not just for Ukraine and Europe, but for the entire world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
