Reports of North Korean involvement in the Ukraine war surfaced on 14 December, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the presence of North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian intelligence earlier revealed that North Korean troops had been placed on high alert on 13 December, with orders to await further instructions.
The operation not only led to the soldier’s capture but also reportedly resulted in Ukrainian forces seizing a Russian BTR-82 armored personnel carrier, alongside weapons and documents.
“An SSO group conducted an operation to destroy the enemy in the Kursk sector. In addition to the successful completion of the mission, there were also trophies: prisoners, including a mercenary from Korea, and a BTR equipped with anti-cumulative protection," the report reads, according to Militarnyi.The prisoner, identified as possibly being the first North Korean soldier, appeared to have been injured. It remains unclear if evacuation and stabilization efforts succeeded in ensuring his transfer to medical facilities, Militarnyi notes.


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