North Korean soldier refuses to drop sausage during capture in Kursk

On 21 January, Ukrainian paratroopers revealed new details about the capture of one of two North Korean soldiers, who refused to drop his sausage even at gunpoint and later attempted self-harm by striking his head against a concrete structure.

North Korea reportedly dispatched 12,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk border region in late October, supporting Moscow’s military efforts following Ukraine’s August incursion. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy previously indicated that approximately 4,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded, with recent battlefield losses potentially escalating this figure. Pyongyang’s troops lack modern warfare training and heavy equipment, while Ukrainian sources note that Russia uses the North Koreans as “cannon fodder” in human-wave attacks.

In the Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade’s video, soldiers disclosed details about the capture of a North Korean soldier that took place on 9 January. Ukrainian soldier Pavlo recounted that after destroying attacking North Korean troops, a drone operator spotted movement on the ground. When Ukrainians approached the soldier, he remained unresponsive in Ukrainian, Russian, or English, wearing a non-Ukrainian uniform. The soldiers resorted to gestures to communicate.

“He had a grenade and a knife on his body armor, which he showed he was dropping. In his pouches, there was something red we initially thought was a makeshift lighter. But when he took it out, it was a sausage – he was indicating it was for eating… and he wouldn’t drop it, we let him keep it,” Pavlo said.

Another soldier, a paratrooper with the call sign Ded (Grandpa), noted that the captured North Korean had injuries to his jaw and hand. Later, the captured soldier attempted self-harm during his extraction. When an armored vehicle arrived for evacuation, the captive suddenly ran and hit his head on a concrete pillar, which rendered the prisoner unconscious, according to Ded.

Pavlo added that they were later informed via radio communication that the captured soldier calmed down after receiving food and medical attention and even requested romance movies in Korean.

: Ukrainian soldiers from the 95th Brigade describe the capture of North Korean military personnel in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Screenshot: Facebook/95 окрема десантно-штурмова Поліська бригада ДШВ ЗСУ

North Korean tactics

In the video, Ukrainian soldier Serhii described the North Koreans’ battlefield approach as reminiscent of early Russian tactics during the full-scale invasion – attempting to overwhelm through sheer numbers without tactical sophistication. They fight like the Soviet army, conducting massive, frontal human-wave assaults. In contrast, The Russians have recently been attacking in small groups, aiming to create and exploit minimal gains.

However, the soldiers noted, unlike the Russians, the North Koreans are actively attempting to evacuate all their casualties from the battlefield.

Commenting on their video, the Brigade’s press service noted that Pyongyang soldiers usually avoid capture at any cost:

“It is no secret that North Korean soldiers do not surrender, they are ready to commit suicide just to avoid being captured by Ukrainian soldiers.”

This is why the Korean troops have faced heavy casualties, with only three captured by Ukrainians so far, one later succumbing to combat wounds.

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