Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces and North Korean commanders are sending North Korean soldiers into assaults with minimal protection, deliberately preventing their capture by Ukrainian forces. He also reports that their troops execute some of these soldiers.
According to Ukraine, South Korea, and the US, approximately 10,000-12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to fight against Ukraine, with indicators suggesting preparations for additional troop and military equipment deployments. Zelenskyy recently stated that North Korea has sustained over 3,000 casualties in Kursk Oblast.
On 27 December, the Ukrainian president met Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to discuss the situation on the front lines, including the involvement of North Korean forces in battles in Kursk Oblast.
“North Korean troops are losing a large number of their soldiers in Kursk Oblast. We see that Russian forces and North Korean commanders are not interested in the survival of these soldiers. They conduct assaults in such a way that makes it impossible for us to capture them alive – their comrades are executing them, and we have evidence of this. They are sending them into assaults with minimal protection,” Zelenskyy stated.
He also mentioned that Ukrainian forces had managed to capture a few North Korean soldiers, but their lives could not be saved due to severe wounds.
“It is another example of the madness that dictatorships are capable of. The North Korean people should not be losing their lives in battles in Europe. It is something that Korea’s neighbors, especially China, can influence. If China is sincere in its statements that the war should not escalate, it must exert pressure on Pyongyang,” Zelenskyy concluded.
On 26 December, Ukrainian military Telegram channels reported the capture of the North Korean soldier. According to Ukraine’s military-focused news outlet Militarnyi, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces captured him during operations in Kursk Oblast. The exact date of the capture operation was not specified.
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