North Korean soldiers are exchanged by Zelensky

BBC.com

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to hand over the two captured North Korean soldiers back to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.
“For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available,” Zelensky said on X.
Russia has not denied using North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said on Monday that more than 300 North Korean soldiers have died while fighting for Russia, and at least 2,700 of them have been wounded.
Zelensky said on Sunday “there should be no doubt left that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea”.

POSITIVE

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stated that he is prepared to exchange Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia for the return of the two North Korean soldiers the country has captured.

Zelensky stated on X, “There may be other options available for those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return.”. “Those who wish to spread the truth about this war in Korea in order to bring peace closer will be given that opportunity,” he continued.

According to the SBU, one of the two soldiers told officials he believed he was traveling to Russia for “training” rather than combat.

A Russian military ID card that had been issued in someone else’s name was discovered with him. The other soldier was without any paperwork.

After being captured on January 9th, the two men are currently in Kyiv and undergoing medical treatment, according to SBU.

With the help of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, they are being interrogated and only speak Korean, according to SBU.

In its conflict with Ukraine, Russia has not denied the use of North Korean forces. The “sovereign decision” of his nation to deploy such troops, according to President Vladimir Putin, was made in October.

The two captured soldiers were photographed by Zelensky on Saturday, with one soldier’s hands completely wrapped and the other’s head and chin covered in bandages.

Additionally, Zelensky posted a picture of a red Russian military ID card detailing the individual’s birthplace as Turan, in the Russian republic of Tuva, which borders Mongolia.

The soldier with the ID card, according to SBU, admitted to interrogators that he had received it in Russia in the fall of 2024.

He added, according to SBU, that some of North Korea’s combat units had received a week-long training at the time.

Notably, the inmate. highlights the fact that he was purportedly traveling for training rather than to engage in combat against Ukraine,” the SBU statement read.

According to a statement released by Zelensky’s office on Saturday, the Russians “are trying to hide the fact that these are North Korean soldiers by giving them documents claiming they are from Tuva or other territories under Moscow’s control.”.

According to the intelligence agency, the soldier with the ID card disclosed that he was born in 2005 and had been a rifleman in North Korean service since 2021.

Due to a jaw injury, the second inmate reportedly provided some of his responses in writing, according to SBU.

According to SBU, he was born in 1999 and has been a scout sniper for North Korea since 2016.

The Geneva Convention stipulates that inmates must be shielded from public curiosity and that interrogation must take place in a language they can understand.

Ukraine’s account of the prisoners and their capture has not yet been confirmed by BBC News or other international media.

At least 10,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia, according to reports from South Korea and Ukraine late last year.

The National Intelligence Service of South Korea reported Monday that at least 2,700 North Korean soldiers had been wounded and over 300 had died while serving Russia.

An intelligence agency in South Korea said in December that a North Korean soldier who was reportedly the first to be apprehended while aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine had passed away following his capture alive by Ukrainian forces.

According to Zelensky, “there should be no doubt left that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea” on Sunday.

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