“In a published account, a captured North Korean soldier said that, among other things, they were transported to Russia by ferry and then by train”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Intelligence information regarding the transfer of such soldiers to Russian territory, training and their complete informational isolation is confirmed by the words of the prisoners,” he wrote in a telegram, adding a video of a captive North Korean soldier’s communication with SBU investigators.
In a released account, a North Korean soldier said that, among other things, there were several soldiers from North Korea who were trained to use Russian heavy equipment and were transported to Russia by ferry and then by train. He also stated that he did not know what he would fight in the Russian Federation and against whom.
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On January 11, Ukraine reported the capture by the Defense Forces of two soldiers from North Korea in Kurshchyna. According to the SBU, on January 9, 2025, one of the DPRK soldiers was captured by the fighters of tactical group No. 84 of the SSO, and the other by paratroopers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The capture by the Ukrainian military of two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation was also confirmed by the intelligence agency of South Korea. The intelligence of the Republic of Korea quoted one of the captured soldiers of the DPRK as saying that “among the North Korean soldiers in Russia, there were ‘significant’ losses.” It also noted that one of the captives went without food and water for four to five days before he was captured by Ukrainian forces.
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It became known about the arrival of the first North Korean troops in Kurshchyna last fall.
According to the USA, South Korea and Ukraine, 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers arrived in Russia in October. They were involved in the war on the side of Russia, units of the DPRK are used in the Kursk region.
Moscow and Pyongyang did not confirm the direct participation of the North Korean military in the fighting.
Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the Kremlin avoids acknowledging the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region or their participation in hostilities there against Ukrainian forces, in order not to recognize that the Russian Federation needs foreign troops to win back its own territory.