- By Imran Zafar
- Sun, 12 Jan 2025 08:41 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday that Ukrainian forces had captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk border region. This marks the first such claim by Kyiv since North Korea reportedly deployed thousands of troops to support Moscow's war effort. Zelenskyy revealed the capture via Telegram, sharing images of the injured soldiers in custody.
The captured soldiers, taken to Kyiv for interrogation, are reportedly cooperating with Ukraine’s security services. Zelenskyy stated that the soldiers were discovered despite attempts by Russian and North Korean forces to conceal their presence by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield. South Korea's National Intelligence Service also backed the claims on Sunday.
Our soldiers have captured North Korean military personnel in the Kursk region. Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 11, 2025
This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North… pic.twitter.com/5J0hqbarP6
Ukraine’s intensified operations in Kursk follow a slow but determined Russian counteroffensive in the region. Moscow’s efforts have reclaimed over 40 per cent of the 984 square kilometres of territory seized by Ukraine in a lightning incursion in August, the first Ukrainian occupation of Russian territory since World War II.
The SBU, Ukraine’s security service, reported that one of the captured North Korean soldiers lacked identification, while the other carried a Russian military ID issued to a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia. According to the SBU, one soldier claimed he had been misled into believing he was going to Russia for training rather than active combat.
Ukraine estimates that 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia. Reports from Ukrainian and US officials suggest these forces serve primarily in infantry roles, fighting alongside Russian units or independently around Kursk. A senior Ukrainian military official recently disclosed that hundreds of North Korean troops in Kursk have been killed or wounded.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also welcomed a fresh round of US sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. Announced by President Joe Biden, the sanctions aim at over 180 vessels allegedly used by Russia to evade oil sanctions, as well as major energy firms and officials.
“These measures strike at the heart of Russia’s shadow fleet and companies like Gazprom Neft, directly impacting Putin’s war finances,” Zelenskyy said.
In Russia, Ukrainian drones targeted apartment blocks in Tambov province overnight, damaging buildings and causing injuries. Russia claimed to have shot down 85 Ukrainian drones while launching 74 drones into Ukraine.
The surge in Ukrainian drone activity suggests Kyiv is ramping up domestic weapons production, aiming to counter Moscow’s offensive with equivalent damage.
(With Agency Inputs)