Ukraine says it has captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that two wounded North Korean soldiers have been captured as prisoners of war by Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

According to Zelensky, both men are receiving “necessary medical assistance” and are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv.

The president said he was “grateful” to Ukrainian paratroopers and special operations forces troops for capturing the North Koreans.

He said that “it was no easy task”, claiming that Russian and North Korean soldiers would usually kill wounded North Koreans “to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine”. Are.

In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Zelensky said the soldiers were “talking to SBU investigators” and that he had instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to provide journalists with access to them.

“The world needs to know the truth about what’s happening,” he said.

Zelensky also posted photos of two injured people but did not provide evidence that they were North Koreans.

An image shows a Russian military ID card issued to a 26-year-old man from Russia’s Tyva region, bordering Mongolia.

Some reports say that Russia is hiding North Korean fighters by giving them fake IDs.

South Korea’s intelligence agency had reported in December A North Korean soldier first captured while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine is believed to have been killed After being captured alive by Ukrainian forces.

Separately, the White House said North Korean forces were suffering mass casualties.