Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released new footage from an interrogation of a North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
In August 2024, Ukrainian forces began a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, with the operation still ongoing. They quickly captured around 1,250 square kilometers of territory, including the strategic town of Sudzha, ruining myths of Russian borders’ invincibility. In response, Russia launched a “counter-terrorist operation,” deploying additional troops and air support to repel the incursion. Russia even resorted to using North Korean troops for assistance, with North Korea sending approximately 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers to Kursk Oblast in November 2024.
According to Zelenskyy’s video, the soldier arrived in Russia aboard a cargo ferry alongside more than 100 other military personnel. While he did not personally receive training on Russian military equipment, he indicated that some of his DPRK colleagues did undergo such preparation.
The captured soldier’s testimony reveals he began his military career at age 17 as part of mandatory service in a reconnaissance battalion. Even his mother doesn’t know where he is now.
The prisoner claimed he was unaware of his combat deployment, saying he “didn’t know he was going to war or who he would be fighting against.”
Captured North Korean soldier fighting alongside Russians didn't know where he was going and who he would be fighting. He arrived in Russia on a cargo ferry with more than 100 other soldiers.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) January 20, 2025
President Zelenskyy has released new footage from an interrogation of a North Korean… pic.twitter.com/KOB2sfSK60
While he acknowledged significant casualties among North Korean forces since his involvement in combat operations, he did not provide specific numbers.
The interrogation also offered insights into the isolated nature of North Korean society. When asked about his knowledge of the outside world, the soldier demonstrated limited awareness. His understanding of South Korea, for instance, extended only to knowing that it has “fewer mountains” than North Korea.
On 11 January, Ukrainian forces reported capturing two wounded North Korean military personnel while operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. The prisoners survived their injuries and were subsequently transferred to Kyiv for questioning by Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) investigators.
Due to language barriers – the captives speak neither Ukrainian, English, nor Russian – interrogations are being facilitated by Korean interpreters working alongside South Korean intelligence services.
During these sessions, both prisoners claimed they had entered Russian territory for training purposes rather than to participate in combat operations against Ukraine.
In response to these developments, Ukrainian authorities proposed returning the North Korean soldiers on the condition that Pyongyang assists in negotiating an exchange for Ukrainian fighters currently in Russian captivity.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early January 2025, North Korean forces have already suffered 3,800 casualties in Kursk Oblast, including 300 people killed and 2,700 wounded in action.
Related:
- Hundreds of North Korean troops killed or injured fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk, US military says
- ISW: Russia denies North Korean troops in Kursk to mask military dependence
- Zelenskyy: Russians burn faces of killed North Korean soldiers to conceal losses
- Forbes: North Korean forces conduct large infantry assaults in Kursk Oblast
- Frontline report: North Koreans face catastrophic losses near Kruglenkoe as Ukrainians reclaim positions
- ISW: All 12,000 North Korean troops in Kursk may be lost by April 2025
