Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has announced his willingness to exchange two captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia.
Addressing the situation on X, Zelensky stated, “For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available.”
He further emphasized that those wanting “to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity.”
The Security Service of Ukraine revealed that the two men, captured on January 9, are currently in Kyiv receiving medical attention.
Both soldiers only speak Korean and are being interrogated with assistance from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
One of the captives reportedly told Ukrainian authorities that he believed he was going to Russia for “training” rather than to engage in combat.
He was found in possession of a Russian military ID card issued under another individual’s name. The second soldier carried no identification.
Photographs of the two men, shared by Zelensky, depict one with bandages around his head and chin, while the other’s hands are heavily wrapped.
Additionally, Zelensky posted an image of a red Russian military ID card, which listed the birthplace as Turan in Tuva, a Russian republic bordering Mongolia.
According to the SBU, the ID card was issued during the autumn of 2024 in Russia.
The soldier with the ID reportedly disclosed that North Korean combat units had undergone a week of training before deployment.
He stressed that he was told the assignment was for training purposes, not to fight against Ukraine.
The second soldier, who reportedly sustained a jaw injury, provided some responses in writing.
He is believed to have been born in 1999 and has served North Korea as a scout sniper since 2016. The younger soldier, born in 2005, said he has been a rifleman in North Korea’s military since 2021.
In a statement, the SBU suggested that Russian authorities might be concealing the origin of the North Korean soldiers by issuing them documents with origins tied to Tuva or other Moscow-controlled territories. Zelensky’s office has supported this claim, asserting that Russia is attempting to obscure its reliance on North Korean troops.
Russia has not denied the use of North Korean soldiers in its war efforts.
President Vladimir Putin previously described the deployment of such troops as a “sovereign decision.”
Reports from late 2024 suggested that North Korea dispatched at least 10,000 troops to support Russia.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently estimated that over 300 North Korean soldiers have died in the conflict, with at least 2,700 others wounded.
The Geneva Convention requires that prisoners of war be interrogated in a language they understand and safeguarded against public exposure.
While BBC News and other outlets have yet to verify Ukraine’s claims regarding the prisoners, Zelensky stated, “There should be no doubt left that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea.”
