Ukraine Captures Two Wounded North Korean Soldiers; Zelensky Opens Access to Journalists

Jan 11, 2025, 12:14 PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces have captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region. The soldiers were wounded but survived and have been transported to Kyiv, where they are communicating with investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) through Korean translators, as they do not speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian. One soldier was captured on January 9 by Tactical Group 84 of the Special Operations Forces, and the other by Ukrainian paratroopers. Zelensky stated that this was a challenging task, as Russian and North Korean forces often prevent wounded soldiers from being captured to conceal their involvement. He has instructed the SBU to allow journalists access to the prisoners to reveal the participation of another state in the war against Ukraine.