Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region, marking a first. Zelenskyy shared evidence, highlighting their survival and potential asylum or prisoner exchange.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that two had been captured alive for the first time by forces operating in the Kursk region of Russia and posted a video as evidence.
“In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others,” – Zelenskyy said on the social media platform X.
“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,” he posted several images of the injured soldiers.
On the following day Ukranian President posted a video showing the two soldiers in bunk beds in a cell. One soldier suffered a facial wound while the other soldier had an open wound and a lower leg fracture. Both men were receiving medical treatment.
Zelenskyy said of the two Korean soldiers who had been captured: “This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine.”
He expressed willingness to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the country’s authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia. Zelenskyy added that “there may be other options” for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return home, and a video posted by him indicated that at least one of the captured soldiers expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine.
One of the men said through an interpreter that he did not know he was fighting against Ukraine as he had been that it was a training exercise and hid in a shelter during the offensive. He said that if he was ordered to return to North Korea, he would, but that he was ready to stay in Ukraine if given the chance.
The Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU, said that “communication with them is carried out through interpreters of Korean,” in cooperation with South Korean intelligence services.
Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, has said facilitating the asylum of the North Korean soldiers would require “legal reviews, including on international law, and consultations with related nations.”
“There’s nothing we can say at the current stage,” Koo said answering on the possibility of their transfer to South Korea.
According to international news agencies, Seoul’s spy agency believes that about 300 North Korean soldiers have died and another 2,700 have been injured while fighting against Ukrainian forces.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the arrival of the first rail shipment of Azerbaijani petrol on Friday, calling the delivery — the...
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Tokyo represents more than a strengthening of bilateral relations; it is a strategic step tha...
Iran’s renewed call for international burden sharing in hosting Afghan refugees has revived a familiar narrative - that refugees are an economic str...
The U.S. military carried out large-scale strikes on dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in response to an attack last week that killed...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Poland on Thursday following a summit of the European Council in Brussels....
North Korea has condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for imposing new sanctions it described as “antagonistic,” vowing to deliver a corresponding response, state media outlet KCNA reported on Thursday.
South Korea's intelligence agency believes there is a strong possibility that North Korea and the United States will hold a summit, with the meeting potentially taking place after March, a lawmaker has said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington would explore "flexibility" for American troops stationed in South Korea to address regional threats while maintaining the alliance’s core focus on deterring North Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended multiple invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of his visit to South Korea this week, with Seoul officials publicly supporting the idea.
Ukraine has welcomed the European Union’s decision to provide €90 billion in support over the next two years, calling it a vital lifeline even as the bloc failed to reach agreement on using frozen Russian assets to finance the aid.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that attempts to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine are being undermined by Russia’s continued refusal to engage meaningfully in negotiations.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that Russian-made Oreshnik missile systems have been deployed on Belarusian territory and placed on combat alert.
The European Union has postponed signing its long-awaited free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc until January, after failing to secure sufficient backing from member states, according to media reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Poland on Thursday following a summit of the European Council in Brussels.
The release of a new collection of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice has reopened long-running questions about how the Jeffrey Epstein case has been handled, what has been made public, and what remains undisclosed.
The United States is not concerned about a potential escalation with Russia over Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, as President Donald Trump increases U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean.
The U.S. military carried out large-scale strikes on dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in response to an attack last week that killed American personnel, U.S. officials said.
US intelligence assessments indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to seek full control of Ukraine and to expand Russia’s influence in parts of Europe formerly under Soviet rule, contradicting repeated claims that Moscow poses no threat to the continent.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment